Justice: Vengeance
by TheSonicGamer
Summary: The Borg are coming. After years of inactivity following the attack on Vega Colony, they have returned in full force. However, Starfleet has another problem. One lone man, hellbent on righting wrongs he believes were committed against him, has attacked Federation ships. Who is this man, and why does he believe the Federation and Starfleet brought the Borg attack upon themselves?
1. Chapter 1

Authors Notes: Oh, I couldn't wait any longer. Here is the newest story! First chapter's a long one, and the second one is still in the works. Of course, anything that comes from Star Trek belongs to Star Trek. Here is the first chapter of Justice: Vengeance.

Chapter 1

Harrison

2409

THREE YEARS AGO

Lieutenant Commander So'Gam had never come so close to actually experiencing the sensation of being nervous. It wasn't his first visit to Earth Space Dock, but it was an important one. He had just gotten his new ship, the U.S.S Justice. He could see out from one of the windows the inside of the docking bay. Dozens of ship were docked, but he could see his own. He could read out the registry number on the saucer section.

NCC-91888

Of course, normally, an officer of his rank or inexperience would never be allowed to captain a starship. The war with the Klingons, however, necessitated the launch of as many Federation ships as possible.

He looked over at the party he was attending. It was in celebration of the defense of the Vega colony. The Borg had been driven off. For the moment. So'Gam found it illogical to celebrate at such a time, but he was starting to see the mood it was setting for every else. They were happy to live another day and opportunity to fight back. That seemed like enough for them.

For So'Gam, who had actually faced them at Vega Colony, it wasn't enough for him.

"So'Gam!" Admiral Quinn called out. So'Gam had been reporting to Quinn since he first gained command of the U.S.S Blue Streak. Quinn had been very helpful, mentoring the young Vulcan on the ways of commanding a starship. So'Gam quickly walked over to him. He was standing next to another man. As he came closer, he recognized who Quinn was with.

"So'Gam, I have the pleasure of introducing you to one of the Federation's most important men. A former Starfleet officer and former Ambassador to Vulcan. This is Jean-Luc Picard."

The elderly Picard smiled warmly at So'Gam. He raised his hand and did the Vulcan salute.

"Peace and long life, So'Gam." He said.

So'Gam returned the gesture. "Live long and Prosper." He said before lowering his hand. "It is an honor to meet you. I had thought you were in retirement."

"I still am." Picard responded. "However, from time to time I am asked to come to treaty signings or social events such as this one. My…long history with the Borg seemed relevant to this occasion."

"Ah, if you gentleman will excuse me." Quinn said. "I have some business I must attend to."

So'Gam watched the admiral hurry into the crowd of people. He noted that something must have caught his attention. Curious…

"I heard you were given a new ship." Picard said, breaking So'Gam out of his contemplation.

"Yes, yes I was." So'Gam said. "A Constitution class refit. The U.S.S Justice."

"A reliable ship and a fine name. Though…I have noticed a bit of hesitation on your part."

So'Gam raised an eyebrow at him. "What do you mean?"

"I was the ambassador to Vulcan…I participated in a mind meld with Sarek and I could read Spock like a book, so I think I know a thing or two about Vulcans…you are unsure of yourself."

So'Gam's eyes wandered down for a bit to the floor. "I am…unsure of myself at the moment. Facing the Borg in such a manner was not something I was trained to do."

"No one is ever fully prepared for their first encounter with the Borg. They are relentless, and that means you must be as well. There is no time to hesitate. The more you do, the more time you give the Borg to adapt. You have to go into the situation with a plan, knowing full well that if the plan fails, you will not make it…The best you can do is use the Borg's predictable tactics to your advantage."

"I understand all that, Picard. It is just difficult to adjust to. I have a crew that will depend on my every order."

"You will learn." Picard assured him. "Where is your crew now? Shore leave?"

"Most of the other ships here have crews on shore leave. However, because I have a new ship, my crew has mostly elected to stay on Justice in order to calibrate and adapt to its newer systems. My first officer, Vi'cky, was quite relieved not to have to dress up for such a formal occasion. The only one here with me is my science officer, Yo'ana."

"You seem to have a very dedicated crew…Lieutenant, I see potential in you. Once you get over this uncertainty, I know you'll make a fine Starfleet captain."

"One can only hope so." So'Gam said. He looked over at Quinn and the man he was talking to. He noticed he was talking with someone, away from the crowd of people. It looked heated.

* * *

Quinn shook his head. "No, Harrison, I can't make that request happen. I've told you a hundred times that Starfleet will never allow you to see full technical designs of a modern Federation ship. You aren't in Starfleet anymore, and we can't have these security leaks."

The man he was talking to was tall, dressed in black and a long, black trench coat, and had a look of a man who was determined to make something happen. His black hair was only a little messy, his eyes staring straight at the admirals as he spoke.

"Quinn, you must understand how important it is that I get these documents. You know very well what technical designs I have-"

"It is not happening." Quinn interrupted. "Starfleet would not allow it. It would break every principle the Federation is based on."

"You have too much faith in these principles…" Harrison said.

"And you have too little faith…this is the last time we're having this discussion. We will not support Vengeance."

Quinn quickly made his way to another group of people, removing himself from the conversation before it heated up even more and caused a scene. Harrison watched him walk off. He now had to move to his last resort…

* * *

"That is why if you ever have a problem dealing with the Borg again, you contact her." Picard said.

So'Gam raised an eyebrow. "I have wanted to meet this…Seven of Nine before. I believe she still works at the Daystrom Institute."

"Her Borg Task Force was dismissed when the Borg threat diminished. With this attack on the Vega colony, though, I believe Starfleet will have no choice but to go to her for advisement."

Suddenly, So'Gam's commbadge beeped.

"Captain, we have detected a breach, someone has broken into the Justice, they're in Engineering!" Vi'cky said in a panicked state. It sounded as if she was running, which made sense to So'Gam. She was in charge of security.

"Understood." So'Gam said as Yo'ana quickly walked over to him.

"Captain, I heard them, we need to get back to the ship."

"This is Captain So'Gam, beam me and Yo'ana to transporter room 2."

* * *

So'Gam and Yo'ana ran down the corridors to get to engineering.

"Vi'cky, report!" So'Gam panted as they ran.

"Captain…we lost him. We only located him because he accessed a computer console…" Vi'cky's voice was small, her panicked state having died down to almost a whimper. So'Gam knew now that something bad had happened.

The doors slid open for them as they ran into Engineering. There were a number of security officers standing around the scene of the crime. There was also a medical team, but they also stood back, knowing now that there was nothing further that could be done. So'Gam parted through the small crowd to see what had happened.

It was at the main engineering console. There, lying on the floor was So'Gam's Bajoran chief Engineer, Loran. On his knees next to him was one of Loran's protégés, Car'los. He had his hands together, eyes closed, whispering something to himself.

"What is Car'los doing?" Yo'ana quietly asked her captain. So'Gam didn't respond, however, his eyes fixated on the death of one of his friends. His first casualty.

"A Bajoran death chant." Vi'cky finally replied.

Car'los stopped the chant for a moment. "Do not worry, Captain, I only know a few lines of the chant, it will not be two hours long…Loran would have wanted this…"

So'Gam didn't know what to feel. He shouldn't have felt anything at all, he was a Vulcan. The sight of his dead friend, however, had awoken something inside of himself that he had thought he had purged. Anger. A swelling rage at whoever was responsible for this. He knew someone was responsible for this. Someone who showed no mercy. He could tell from the way his head was turned. A broken neck.

Vi'cky could tell that So'Gam was struggling. She still had to do her job, though, and give him a report.

"Sir, I'm still not entirely sure how, but whoever did this was obviously a Starfleet officer, possibly a former one. He knew exactly how to get on board the ship undetected, disable any tracking technology and cut off the video feed from the security cameras. We have no idea who he is."

"John Harrison."

Everyone turned around to look at the entrance. Admiral Quinn was standing there. "He's the only one I know who would do something like this."

"But why?" Vi'cky asked him.

"I'm assuming that nothing was stolen. The only thing that happened on that console was access to this ship's technical designs."

"That's right, sir." Vi'cky responded. "He couldn't have gotten far. There isn't a ship docked here right now that's ready to launch that quickly, not for a quick getaway. He'd have to use a runabout."

"Harrison came on board a runabout, that much I know. So'Gam, I hereby order you to disembark from space dock and find that runabout."

So'Gam turned to the admiral. His feelings hadn't changed, but now he at least had a name to go by, and a mission that may bring him to light. His bridge officers could see So'Gam's returning confidence. "All bridge officers, meet me on the bridge. Vi'cky, let the crew know we will be separating from space dock immediately. Car'los, you are acting chief engineer. I want all power directed to the warp nacelles and impulse engines, we will not be needing much firepower to disable a runabout. You have your orders."

* * *

The space doors opened as a lone runabout flew out of space dock with Harrison on board. A few moments later, the U.S.S Justice followed suit, its impulse engines pushing the ship as fast as it could. The runabout's warp nacelles started to glow, suddenly pushing the shuttle into warp. The Justice did the same.

Admiral Quinn had joined So'Gam and his officers on the bridge of their new ship. Quinn was standing behind the captain's seat.

"We're still tracking him." Yo'ana reported from her station. "I don't understand. He knew exactly how to sneak on board the ship, but now we're catching up to him because he's in a measly runabout."

"Obviously, he has some sort of escape plan." So'Gam said.

"Open fire on that runabout, destroy it now!" Quinn suddenly commanded.

"Not yet, we must apprehend him so that he can stand trial for what he has done." So'Gam said from his seat.

Quinn walked over to the captain's chair. "I gave you an order. I see the look in your eye…I thought this was what you wanted…"

So'Gam never broke eye contact with the view screen. "I…What I want is irrelevant. Federation law dictates that if we are able to capture him alive, we must do so."

"You're making a mistake, So'Gam."

"Open a channel with the runabout, first officer."

"Understood. Channel open." Vi'cky replied. "Audio only, he isn't transmitting video."

"This is captain So'Gam of the Federation starship Justice. Drop out of warp and lower your shields. Prepare to be beamed out of your ship."

"So'Gam?" The deep, intimidating voice replied. "I suppose I have you to thank for supplying me with what I need. Farewell, captain. Maybe we'll cross paths again."

"Sir, the runabout is cloaking!" Vi'cky reported. They could all see on screen as the runabout disappeared from sight.

"Look for the usual signs of cloaking, science officer."

Yo'ana worked quickly. "Stand by…I can't detect any subspace variance. His cloak is perfect. We've lost him…"

"Impossible…" Vi'cky looked down at her console. "I'm getting nothing…nothing on motion sensors, no trace particle elements from the cloaking device. Starfleet has only had one other encounter with a perfect cloaking device such as this. The Scimitar had one."

So'Gam stood up from his seat and turned his head to Quinn. He had an intensity to his stare.

"Why does that man have a perfect cloaking device?"

"I don't know." Quinn responded. "If I had known that he had one, I would have told you. We should have destroyed that runabout when we had the chance."

"That is not how we operate, admiral…science officer, what was his heading?"

"Sensors indicate he was traveling to the Klingon neutral zone."

"We'll never be able to track him there." Quinn said. "You should have killed him when you had the chance. Whatever he does from here on out is your fault…"

"I will bear that responsibility, admiral, if it means adhering to the Federation principles we all took an oath to uphold."

So'Gam knew that it wasn't that simple, however. He wanted to catch Harrison, and the fact that he got away only increased his own feeling of anger even more. He needed to get away and meditate, calm and repress his emotions before it got out of hand. As Car'los said, it was what Loran would have wanted.

2412

PRESENT TIME

Harrison looked around the highly experimental bridge. It looked dark, foreboding. Lonely. After 3 long years, his ship was complete.

"Now….shall we begin..."

Next time on Justice: Veangence

Chapter 2

Enterprise Gone Wrong

Authors Notes: Yes, in Star Trek Online, the first U.S.S Justice was a retrofit Constitution class ship.


	2. Chapter 2

Authors Notes: I am not a creative person. That's why I'm on this website; to tell the stories of the works of others in my own way. With that said, with how the first half of this story is shaping up, I feel obligated to warn people of SPOILERS. My story, from here on out, may be spoiling some major plot points from Star Trek Into Darkness.  
I loved Star Trek Into Darkness, but because it was a movie, it couldn't go too deep into the motivations of John Harrison, making it simplistic. I wanted to go a little deeper, and shake up the very foundations that the Federation is based on. This is going to get ugly, and I can say right now that the only way I'm topping this story with my next one is by having Q in the next story. I can't wait to get to that one, I'm going to have so much fun with it...  
Anyway, I just finished another chapter 3, so I feel I can now safely put up chapter 2 without fear of writers block. Don't ask. Enjoy!

Chapter 2

Enterprise Gone Wrong

"This is Captain Va'Kel Shon of the U.S.S Enterprise. Is anyone receiving this hail?"

Everyone on the bridge of the Enterprise had their eyes on the screen. A Galaxy class starship was adrift, and badly damaged. One nacelle strut looked like it was about to snap off, and there were multiple hull breaches all over. The bridge had been completely destroyed. They could barely make out the name and registry number on the saucer section of the ship.

"No response from the Berman, Captain." Shon's first officer, Samuel Winters reported. "Sensor data is coming in…All hands were lost…Captain, I'm not sure what to make of this."

"Well, don't keep it to yourself, commander."

"Well…it's the two weapons signatures I'm getting that are…disturbing. The Berman was involved in two battles. The first appears to be…Borg.

Shon, who was sitting in the Captain's chair, turned his head to look at his first officer.

"Are you sure?"

"The hull damage near engineering and the nearly depleted phaser banks are proof enough. I've already started downloading the Berman's sensor logs, so we'll know for absolute certainty. It's the other weapons signature that is more disturbing."

"More disturbing then Borg activity near our borders? We haven't seen that in some time." Shon said. "What's the other signature?"

"Sir…the other weapons signature is Federation."

"..You're right, that is somehow worse." Shon said. "Can you tell what type of ship it came from?"

"That's the thing, I can't. It's Federation weaponry for sure, but it's not something I've ever seen before. This phaser fire is much stronger than anything we use, even on the Enterprise. The Berman managed to get away from the Borg, most likely a Borg Probe, but it was crippled by a Federation ship."

Shon looked back at the view screen. "I see…Okay, people. Everyone start working on making sense of any sensor data you gets from the Berman once the download is complete. I want to know exactly what they saw. I'll be in my ready-"

"Sir, we have an incoming ship." Winters reported.

"Who?"

"I don't know. It has a Federation transponder, but I can't tell the name of the ship or what it looks like."

"This might be the ship that attacked the Berman." Shon stated. "Shields up, red alert. A Federation ship has to respond to hails, and if this one is not, then I think we have our culprit."

"Captain, the ship is dropping out of warp."

Everyone stood up as they saw the ship. Officers serving aboard Odyssey class ships were not used to seeing a ship that was bigger than what they were serving on. They could barely tell the shape of the ship, the black of it blending in the background. The blue light of the deflector dish was visible, but it appeared to be inside the engineering hull, protected behind two sliding armor plates. Unlike the smoother, circular designs of 24th and 25th century ships, this ship was reminiscent of the angular designs of ships from the 22nd and 23rd century.

The bridge of the Enterprise was free of any voices, save the blaring of the red alert status. Even Shon's antennae were perfectly still. Shon wasn't sure what he could do. If this ship could cripple a Galaxy class starship before it could even send out a distress call, it could do some serious damage to the Enterprise. They had to survive, not only to warn Starfleet about this unmarked Federation ship, but also about the Borg activity.

"Winters…hail that ship…"

Winters hit a few buttons on his console. "Ready, sir…"

"This is Captain Shon of the Federation starship Enterprise. Identify yourself."

There was no answer. No response. Somehow, this was worse.

"…Sir, its locking phasers on us!" Winters yelled.

"Evasive maneuvers! Winters, charge all phasers and prepare quantum torpedoes. Try to hit their engineering section!"

The bridge shook as the Enterprise took damage. The unknown ship fired its phaser shots, short bursts of red energy instead of the usual beams. It didn't take long for the first few shots to break through the Enterprises shield. More violent shaking of the bridge as consoles started to short circuit.

"Damn it, our phaser banks aren't doing enough damage, that ships is over taking us!" Winters reported.

"All power to impulse engines!" Shon commanded. "Get us behind the Berman, we could use it as a shield!"

Suddenly, the shaking stopped. The unmarked ship had ceasefire.

Winters looked down at his console "Why did it stop?...Captain, they're hailing us."

Shon stood up. "Helmsmen, listen carefully. I want you to move the Enterprise slowly, as if we're crippled and just trying to create some distance between us and that ship. Move us behind the Berman. I want to be prepared if he starts firing again…Winters, I want you to send a silent message to the crew. Evacuate everyone as deep inside the ship as possible, no one is to be near the outer hull. On my mark, I want the hull polarized. You all have your orders; I'll try to buy as much time as possible. Prepare to send a distress call to Starfleet, but do not send it until I say so…now, Winters…on screen…"

The viewscreen changed to a scene they could barely make out. The bridge was well lit, but at the same time, everything was black and difficult to see. It wasn't helped by the fact that there was no one else around the bridge. It was completely empty except for one man. He stood there, wearing only black as well. A long sleeved black shirt with a Starfleet insignia, and black pants. His gaze was piercing, and when he decided to speak up, his deep voice affected everyone on the bridge of the Enterprise.

"You can see now the futility of your actions. My ship is much more powerful than yours…Have you sent out a distress signal yet?"

"Why would we tell you that?" Shon asked.

"That's a no. Good. I want to make sure Starfleet does not get any warning that the Borg are coming."

"Is that why you crippled the Berman?"

"That's why I'm destroying both of your ships."

"You fool; don't you understand what you're doing? If the Borg invades the Alpha quadrant, we'll all be assimilated! Don't you care that our way of life will no longer exist?"

Harrison looked down at his console. "…My way of life no longer exists…so why should I care?" When he looked back up, he seemed even angrier than before. "But before I die, I want to make sure those responsible for my misery pay for what they did."

"If that's really how you feel…Unfortunately, it won't work. My crew just sent out a distress signal. Starfleet will be here in a few hours to find out what happened."

"Then I had best assure that they don't find anything useful." The video suddenly cut off.

"Helmsman, are we behind the Berman?"

"Yes sir!"

"Then all hands, brace for impact!"

The unknown ship fired on the Berman, the Galaxy class ship suddenly exploding, engulfing the Enterprise in the blast.

* * *

Mi'key picked up his drink from the bartender at the Hall of Justice. He thanked her before looking around to see who he could talk to. Everyone seemed to already be in some sort of conversation with someone else, and as much as he would have liked to jump into a conversation about theoretical transwarp mechanics, he didn't want to be rude. He did see one person who was sitting alone. The chief science officer, Yoana.

He walked over to her, drink in hand, and walked over to the table. "Excuse me, ma'am, is this seat taken?"

Yoana looked up at him. "Oh no, please, sit down. And no need to be so formal with me, we're not on active duty right now…What are you drinking?"

"It's a blend I asked the bartender for. She doesn't have Andorian whisky, so she replicates a synthohol version of it and adds her own mix of alcohol to spice it up a bit. Works well enough for me."

"Oh, I see. I don't really drink synthohol, I much prefer tea. Ensign Jil'eesa has introduced me to some interesting Vulcan mixes."

"I didn't think she had it in her. Jil'eesa's always been pretty boring to me, but I guess most Vulcans are."

"Even the captain?"

Mi'key chuckled a bit. "Well, So'Gam's a special case. Boring person that makes interesting decisions. I much prefer that over Velma, she's gonna get me killed one of these days, mark my word."

Yoana laughed a bit at that. "Velma does tend to jump into situations rather quickly, but it seems to have worked out for you so far. You're serving on this ship, aren't you?"

"A lucky situation I'm not going to question." Mi'key said. "If you don't mind me saying…you're not as difficult to talk to as the others. So'Gam is hard to find when he's not on the bridge. Vi'cky seems like she's working all the time, and Car'los is more or less stuck in engineering. "

"Well, they're all pretty focused on their work. They were born for this kind of career, but I don't really think I was. You know that leadership quality some people just have? How they naturally fit into the role of senior officers? I don't really have that…I had to learn it myself when So'Gam picked me to be his science officer. I'm just a normal woman."

"Well, I've never heard So'Gam complaining about his science station, so I'd imagine you're doing a good job."

Yoana smiled. "Thanks, but really, I'd be a nervous wreck if it were any other captain. So'Gam and I go way back, he's trusted me with a lot of things, and thankfully I'm at least really good at what I do."

"That, you are." Mi'key said, taking a sip of his drink. "I heard we're going back to Earth for a minor refit."

"Yeah, a couple of new system installations here and there. Supposedly, it'll increase our efficiency in combat, but I'd need to check in with Car'los on that one."

"Well, if you have the information, I could look it over myself. I'm an engineer, remember?"

"I am pretty curious…I have the upgrade list in my quarters, if you want to translate for me."

* * *

"…and Yoana said my calculations were spot on." Velma proudly remarked to her Vulcan friend.

"I would not expect any less of you." Jil'eesa replied. "If I remember correctly, we should be approaching Yoana's quarters momentarily."

"I guess I do need to ask her about what she thought of my report from yesterda-Oh by the stars!"

The sudden reaction broke up the kiss between Mi'key and Yoana as they both looked at who stumbled upon them. Jil'eesa simply raised an eyebrow.

"What the…I mean…how?!" Velma sputtered out.

"It happens." Mi'key said with a grin. "Now if you'll excuse us, this is really a private matter…"

The blaring red alert sound suddenly started up.

"All hands to battle stations, I repeat, all hands to battle stations, this is not a drill!" Vi'cky's voice said over the P.A system.

"Battle stations…but we're almost in the Sol System." Velma said. "What danger could have gotten this deep into Federation space?"

"We'd better get to the bridge and find out." Yoana said, moving away from Mi'key. "And we're on duty now, Mi'key."

"I know, I know, professionalism." He said as they all quickly made their way to the bridge.

* * *

So'Gam was standing up, eagerly awaiting any new information he could get from Starfleet.

"…Captain, whatever this ship is has been disabling any ship that gets in the way." Vi'cky reported. "We only have a few ships left in Earth's vicinity that can intercept it, including the Justice."

"Any information on what this ship is?" So'Gam asked.

"All that is being confirmed is that it has a Federation transponder, that's how we allowed it to get this far into our territory."

"A Federation transponder is a very specific piece of technology that only works with Federation ships."

"I know, Captain, that means that this is some sort of unmarked Federation ship that isn't responding to our hails…Captain…we have a new report from Starfleet Command….the ship has attacked Earth…"

Next time on Justice: Vengeance

Chapter 3

A Defiant Chase


	3. Chapter 3

Authors Notes: This is getting good. I'm having a lot of fun writing.

Chapter 3

A Defiant Chase

Starfleet started out as an organization for the United Earth government. When the Federation was formed, Starfleet was reorganized and turned into the Federation fleet, representative of all the member planets. Still, its connection to Earth could never be severed. Everyone understood just how important Earth was, not because of humans, but because it was the heart of the Federation. For it to be attacked was an event that very few Starfleet officers would ever experience, and none ever wanted to see.

All of this went through So'Gam's mind as his ship approached Earth. It may not be his world, but it was the world of a good number of his crew. This news affected him just as much it did the others.

"Captain, I'm getting more information…the location that was destroyed was the Christopher Pike Memorial Center. Everyone who was inside is suspected to be dead."

"We have to stop that ship before it attacks anywhere else." So'Gam said. "Time to intercept?"

"2 minutes. The unmarked ship is still in orbit around Earth. It's disabled almost every ship in the sector, and any other ships won't be here in time. The only ships in range are the Justice…and the Philosopher. Defiant class escort."

"Hail the Philospher." So'Gam said. A few seconds later, the image of the cramped Defiant bridge appeared. The captain was a somewhat tall human with tan skin and black hair. He had a VISOR on, which was rather odd. There were contacts that could be placed on eyeballs that had the same effect, without the need for the somewhat clumsy VISOR.

"This is Captain Gomez of the U.S.S Philosopher." Gomez said.

"Admiral So'Gam, U.S.S Justice. We are the only ones who can intercept the ship that attacked Earth. You are now under my command."

"Understood, I'll have my tactical officer communicating with yours to coordinate our attack."

"The Justice will take the lead." So'Gam said.

* * *

"Damn it!" Harrison yelled, smashing his hands onto the computer console he was working on. The metal and glass had given in and bent from the impact. "They don't have it…they already gave it to Starfleet…"

"Warning." A male, computerized voice said. "Two Federation ships on an intercept course."

Harrison thought about what he could do next. He needed to find it, and he needed it soon. His advanced mental capabilities let him think a number of steps ahead. He realized how this would play out, and how to get what he wanted.

"Turn this ship around. Set a course for the Klingon Neutral Zone…"

* * *

"Sir, the unmarked ship is leaving Earth's orbit. I have a visual." Vi'cky reported.

"On screen…" So'Gam said. The large, dark vessel that appeared on the screen caught everyone's attention.

"What the hell is that?" Velma asked from her console.

"I don't know. It's much larger than any Federation ship I've ever seen." Mi'key said. "It's even bigger than the Justice. The power costs for those giant nacelles must be enormous…"

Jil'eesa began working on her tactical console. "I am beginning my analysis…initial scans reveal a compliment of five hundred quantum torpedoes and six hundred photon torpedoes. I also count approximately 15 phaser arrays on the saucer section alone. Even with the help of the Philospher, it will prove difficult to overcome it."

"We have risen up to the challenge before, ensign." So'Gam said. "We will do it again. Follow that ship, helmsman. All hands to battle stations."

"Red alert!" Vi'cky commanded.

"Sir, I also have identification of the unmarked ship." Jil'eesa stated. "No registry number…U.S.S...Vengeance…"

"Captain, has Starfleet ever commissioned such a ship?" Velma asked So'Gam.

"Not that I am aware of. Helmsman?"

"Almost…we're dropping out of warp near the Vengeance. The Philosopher will be here in an estimated 15 seconds."

The Justice flew past the Vengeance, turning around the face the black ship and stopping right in front of it. Despite the large size of an Odyssey class, the Vengeance had to be a least 30 percent larger.

Velma stayed silent when she saw the ship on the screen, facing them head on. She started having flashbacks to the fight with the Dominion. She never thought she'd wind up in a situation where her ship was at a tactical disadvantage yet again.

"Hail them." So'Gam stated.

"…No response." Vi'cky said.

"Captain, the Vengeance is veering off, it is preparing to go to warp again!"

"Follow the Vengeance, Helmsman, maximum warp! First officer, instruct the Philosopher to do the same!"

"Sir, why is a ship with such superior firepower running away from us?" Vi'cky asked her captain.

"Even that ship may be overwhelmed if swarmed by a fleet. It is luring us away from Federation space to engage us alone." So'Gam reasoned. "Check its heading."

"Yes, sir…it's heading for the Klingon neutral zone."

So'Gam raised an eyebrow. He had been in this situation before…

"The Vengeance is dropping out of warp again, and is charging phasers!" Jil'eesa reported.

"Lock phasers on the Vengeance. First officer…fire at will."

As soon as the Justice dropped out of warp, it began firing on the Vengeance. None of them could have expected the volley of phaser blasts the Vengeance fired back. The blasts nearly ripped through the Justice's forward shields.

"Sir, forward shields down to 26 percent!" Vi'cky yelled over the sound of a nearby console short circuiting. "We can't take another hit like that!"

"Balance shields accordingly." So'Gam said as he hit a button on his seat. "Car'los, transfer all power to shields and prepare to polarize the hull. We will have to rely on the Philosopher's firepower."

"Sir, the Philosopher has dropped out of warp and is opening fire…" Jil'eesa reported before something else caught her eye. "Sir, I am picking up another warp signature…another Federation ship has dropped out of warp in our area."

"What ship is it, ensign?"

"It is…the Enterprise."

The damaged Enterprise looked like it had been through hell. There were various hull breaches around the ship and scorch marks from some sort of explosion, but it was still flying, and still capable of fighting. The Enterprise opened fire on the Vengeance as well. The three ships swarmed the Vengeance, attacking it from all angles.

"We might actually win this." Velma said in a hopeful voice.

"That remains to be seen." Jil'eesa said.

"Captain…the Vengeance has stopped firing." Vi'cky said. "They're hailing us."

"Open a channel with the Enterprise and the Philosopher, tell them both to cease fire. Put the Captain of the Vengeance on screen."

The view screen changed to a view of the Vengeance's bridge. One man was standing there.

"Admiral…I am standing down. Check your sensors, I have powered down my weapons. On your command, I will lower the shields so you can transport me to your brig."

"This day is full of surprises…" Mi'key mumbled to himself.

"Sensor data is coming in." Yoana reported from the science station. "From what I can tell, he's telling the truth, his phaser cannons are offline, and the power fluctuations in his shield matrix suggests he's preparing to lower them…Of course, he could somehow be tricking us."

"I don't see how." Vi'cky said. "He wouldn't have his crew fire on the Justice if he's on the ship."

"That's the thing, Vi'cky…there is no crew. That man is alone on his ship. The rest of it is filled to the brim with weaponry and shielding."

"Whoa, that makes the Defiant class look like the NX class Enterprise when it first launched." Mi'key quipped.

"No one remembers enough history to get that." Velma shot back.

"Enough." So'Gam said before looking at the view screen. "Lower your shields and prepare to be beamed over."

Next time on Justice: Vengeance

Chapter 4

My name is…

Authors Notes: The U.S.S Philosopher, NCC-622788-C, is a second Federation character I made in Star Trek Online. Escort ships are very fun to play.


	4. Chapter 4

Authors Notes: Well, the next chapter isn't done yet, but it's close to being finished and I really wanted everyone to finally be able to read this chapter. Finally, let's get some answers here!

Chapter 4

My name is…

So'Gam was standing in the transporter room, hands behind his back as he watched two people beam over to his ship. The first was Captain Shon of the Enterprise, and the other was Captain Gomez of the Philosopher.

"Admiral, a pleasure to see you, as always. Live long." Shon said with a smile.

"I assume that prospering is merely implied." So'Gam replied before looking at the other captain. "Captain Gomez, it is agreeable that you could join us."

"I wouldn't miss this for the world." Gomez said. "I want to find out where that ship came from. Where is he, anyway?"

"Naturally, he is in the brig." So'Gam said.

"Admiral, I have a few things I need to report to you and send to Starfleet." Shon said. "The Enterprise was attacked by that ship earlier. He almost destroyed us, but I managed to trick him into thinking we were gone by hiding in the explosion of another ship."

"Hiding…in an explosion?" So'Gam asked, eyebrow raised.

"Yes. I couldn't have the ship jump to warp, his sensors would pick that up, follow us and destroy us anyway. And he would also pick up the energy readings coming from a shield at full power. So I polarized the hull and took as much of the explosion as the ship could."

"Shon, you are a resourceful captain." So'Gam said. "You will need to report to a Starbase for extensive repairs."

"Of course, sir. There is another issue, though. The reason he attacked us was to keep us from warning Starfleet."

"About what?"

"Borg activity near our borders…they're back."

"…Let us go interrogate the prisoner." So'Gam said.

* * *

Vi'cky had her arms crossed, staring at the man inside the brig. She couldn't put her finger on it, but there was something about this man that wasn't normal. For a human, anyway. He was entirely too confident in the situation he was in. He hadn't said a word, no sort of apology, not even a worried look. He was just waiting. What could he possibly do from the brig anyway, she thought to herself. There were 4 guards posted in the area, but even then, Vi'cky felt she should have her phaser ready. She had stared down and intimidated prisoners in a brig before, but this man didn't back down. He stared back, a determined look in his eyes.

The doors slid open as the three captains walked in. So'Gam laid eyes on a man that he should have recognized. His repression of his emotions, however, didn't allow him to connect the dots about that day, three years ago…

"Who are you…" So'Gam asked.

"It doesn't matter who I am now." The man responded in his deep voice. "The Borg are coming…"

"It will still be some time before they reach populated sectors of Federation space." So'Gam said. "We have time to prepare for the inevitable conflict and drive them off. Why do you believe it does not matter?"

"The Borg are not just returning…they are coming to destroy this sector of space. In the past, they have sent a cube to invade the Federation…This time, they are coming with their whole fleet. Do you think you could defend the Alpha Quadrant from an entire fleet of Borg cubes? Hundreds of them? That is what my own scans have shown. As much as I have tried to delay it, your ships will begin to detect it as well."

"Why have you tried to delay it?" So'Gam asked it.

"Because Starfleet deserves its bleak fate. For years it has stagnated, and what has it done? It left us unprepared for the Dominion. It forced us to rely on the Klingons and the Romulans to aid us during that war."

"Would you suggest we militarize Starfleet?" So'Gam asked. "That we abandon the peaceful endeavor of exploration in order to protect ourselves from any conceived threat? Do you really not see the ethical implications of such a course of actions?"

"I see worlds at peace. Destructive species such as the Klingons and Romulans no longer a threat. A Starfleet that would have already completely destroyed the Borg."

"I will not have this argument with you." So'Gam said. "You attempted to destroy the Enterprise, and you killed civilians with your attack on Earth. I demand to know your identity and why you are doing all this."

"Captain, I can't believe you still haven't recognized me. I thought Vulcans had superior minds. Do you really not remember me?"

"Answer the admiral!" Vi'cky Suddenly yelled. Her role had typically been that of the "bad cop" in these situations. "Who the hell are you!?"

"My name…is John Harrison…"

So'Gam lost his concentration for a moment. He remember now, and along with those memories came that anger. That seething rage at the man who killed his chief engineer, his first casualty. Harrison was that man, and because he failed to kill him three years ago, Harrison in turn murdered innocent people on Earth. This loop of regret and guilt was threatening to destroy the balance of emotion and logic he had been working towards all these years.

All of this occurred in a moment. The two other captains couldn't tell, but Vi'cky could see it. She was dealing with her own anger, but Andorians were better able to handle that emotion.

"Admiral, if you need me to, I can handle the interrogation." Vi'cky said.

"No…I can handle this…Harrison, why did you sneak aboard my ship and steal those technical plans three years ago?"

"Isn't it logical, So'Gam?" Harrison asked. "My ship…the Vengeance. I managed to procure the plans for the Vengeance during my years at Starfleet intelligence. It is a ship design from the 23rd century. However, when building the actual ship, I needed it to have the upgraded warp capabilities of ships in this century. Starfleet adds those warp capability to older ships like yours, captain. Do you remember that quaint Constitution class you commanded?"

So'Gam wouldn't allow him to change the subject. "I refuse to believe such a ship was designed by Starfleet."

"Not really Starfleet, admiral, but a member of Starfleet. A man by the name of Alexander Marcus. A man who thought the same way I did. That Starfleet was too weak to defend itself from an invasion. He developed the design specifications of the Dreadnaught class. Unfortunately, Starfleet not only rejected his proposition to replace the fleet of Constitution class ships with Dreadnaught class ships, but shamed him for wanting to protect his way of life."

"I remember reading about him at Starfleet Academy." Gomez said. "Marcus went off the deep end. He wanted a completely militarized Starfleet, one that was much more aggressive and wouldn't take the incursions of the Klingon Empire sitting down. Internal affairs investigated him and eventually forced his discharge. His daughter, Carol Marcus, devoted her life to using science for the creation of life rather than its destruction."

"I don't remember that whole Genesis project going well for her." Shon said. "But how could you blame Starfleet for the Borg? We couldn't have possibly suspected the Borg existing. Even Picard didn't know the true extent of their power."

"Oh…but we did know, didn't we, So'Gam?" Harrison asked, looking at the Vulcan admiral. "I believe you've been in contact before with the organization I came from. An organization that Starfleet claims to know nothing about and has never been associated with before."

"What organization?" Shon asked.

"Section 31…"

So'Gam raised an eyebrow. He thought he'd never hear the name of that organization again. Shon was beginning to realize who Harrison was talking about while Gomez scratched his head.

"Never heard of it." Gomez said.

"Believe me, you do not want to." So'Gam replied, his eyes locked on Harrison. "So that is how you did it…three years ago, when you snuck aboard my ship and got away from me."

"Starfleet Intelligence's training coupled with what I had to learn when I joined Section 31has made me unparalleled in infiltration. Sneaking into that social event was easy, as was breaking into a simple Constitution class ship. I'm not perfect, however. I made a mistake, and that Bajoran found me…"

"That Bajoran had a name." Vi'cky angrily said.

Harrison turned his head slightly to look at her, a slight smile creeping on his face. "And a neck, as well. That didn't really help him."

"You son of a bitch!" Vi'cky yelled, moving to lower the force field.

"VI'CKY! Not now!" So'Gam suddenly ordered, regaining Harrison's attention.

"Now where was I…Ah yes. I killed the Bajoran, stole the necessary upgrades the Vengeance needed, and headed to a shuttle bay. I had one piece of technology on me from Section 31. A small, mobile version of the perfect cloaking technology Section 31 obtained during the whole mess with the Romulans and the Hobus supernova. Easy enough to install on a Runabout, though due to its size, the device doesn't work on a ship larger then that. From there, I travelled to a remote location in the Klingon Neutral Zone. It took three years, and a lot of slave labor that the Orions discreetly provided to me in return for a few favors, but my ship was finally built."

"You have avoided answering my question, Harrison…Why did you attack a civilian location?"

"That was no civilian location…The Christopher Pike Memorial Center is a front for one of Section 31's most secret bases."

"Impossible…" Shon said.

"But true. Perhaps you should look up one of your…friends…from the organization."

"I do not know how to contact him." So'Gam said. "But if I know Drake…he will contact me. Your reasoning does not make sense, however. You blame Starfleet and Section 31 for the Borg attacks. How did they have a hand in their appearance in the Alpha Quadrant? Q was the one who introduced the Enterprise to the first Borg Cube. Section 31 had nothing to do with that First Contact."

"That is a lie." Harrison said. His voice was slightly louder when he spoke. They were beginning to touch on his motives.

"It is true. Starfleet had no knowledge of the Borg prior to Picards encounter with them."

"SECTION 31 DID!" Harrison yelled. "They've known about the Borg for over two centuries!"

Next time on Justice: Vengeance

Chapter 5

History Rewritten

Authors Notes: Dun dun DUUUUUUNN! Also, yes, injecting alternate timeline material into the prime timeline. Carol must have had a father in the prime universe, and I'd imagine he's not all that different from what was in the movie.


	5. Chapter 5

Authors Notes: Sorry this one took a while, I'll try to get the next few chapters out week by week, I have a lot to do right now as far as job searching goes.

Chapter 5

History Rewritten

Mi'key got up from the helm. They were in position around the Vengeance, waiting to see what the 3 captains would decide to do next. He walked over to Yoana at her science console. Luckily, it was busy enough around the bridge that their conversation was bare audible.

"I was curious, Yoana. Why haven't we boarded the Vengeance?"

"Its shields are still up." Yoana said, not turning her head. "After its captain beamed over, the shields came online again. We're still trying to figure out how to lower them from over here. I theorize that the ship is programmed to only respond to him. Maybe by voice command, or by a biological I.D system. I'll need some time with him after the interrogation to make sure."

"I've been talking with some of the crew from the Enterprise. They said they detected Borg activity near our borders."

Yoana stopped what she was doing, and turned her head to look at him. "Borg activity? Are you certain?"

"Yeah, the Enterprise crew is expecting Shon to report it to So'Gam. I just can't believe we're about to put more effort into fighting off the Borg then dealing with Harrison. He just somehow conjured up a Federation warship, but we're more worried about some Borg cubes."

"Mi'key, don't do that…you've never fought them before."

"Maybe not, but I've studied up on them enough to know what to do. Swarm them, randomize your phaser and shield frequencies, and ensure you have a ship with the name 'Enterprise' or 'Voyager' in your fleet. We'll always come out okay."

"That is a very irresponsible point of view." Yoana suddenly said, nearly cutting his sentence. She looked back at her console. "Look, Mi'key you don't…you don't understand…I've noticed a lot of ensigns haven't experienced this yet. The Borg have an…effect on you. I don't think it's something they mean to do, but…"

Mi'key could tell that Yoana was feeling a little anxious, even frightened. She wouldn't take her eyes off of her console.

"The Borg are the worst threat we've ever faced. They're nearly unstoppable, they know exactly what they want, and they can rip any Federation ship to threads in minutes. But worst of all is their culture. Their one track hive mind. The Klingons may just want to fight all the time, the Tholians may be territorial, and the Romulans may be paranoid, but the Borg ARE all about destroying individuality. They take you, turn you into one of them and drown out your own thoughts with their collective conscious. It's worst then death. And what bothers a lot of us is just how…effective they are. Taking individuality away works. And surrendering to the Borg feels like admitting it…"

* * *

Everyone was speechless. The Borg had caused irreparable harm to the Federation over the last 40 years. The thought that anyone in the Alpha Quadrant knew not only about the existence and the power of the Borg, but that they were also on the way to Earth, was maddening.

"How is that possible?" So'Gam asked, finally breaking the silence. "How could Section 31 know about the Borg for this long?"

"Again, the simple use of logic would answer your question…Because the Borg have appeared in Earth history before."

"Of course, the Battle of Sector 001." Shon said. "Picard reported that the Borg went back in time to stop the first contact between humans and Vulcans. But he also reported that he searched the planet for any technology, Borg or otherwise, from the future so it wouldn't violate the Temporal Directive."

"Picard didn't get everything. Section 31 first became aware of the Borg during the 22nd century. Captain Jonathan Archer of the Enterprise encountered and destroyed a group of Borg drones attempting to flee to the Delta Quadrant. Because they had never encountered them before, Archer didn't know what to make of the cybernetic species. But Section 31 knew, and did their best to keep information about that event secure, for what, I have no idea. One would think such a species that gave Archer that much trouble would have been investigated, but only Section 31 did, not Starfleet."

"Your information may be flawed." So'Gam said.

"There's more…over 100 years later, Admiral Kirk encountered strange cybernetic beings and ships of geometric shapes. These beings regenerated and adapted to their weaponry. Sound familiar, admiral?"

"Kirk also encountered the Borg?"

"Check in with your friend, I'm sure he'll be contacting you soon. He can confirm all of this…"

"Admiral." Shon said, interrupting the interrogation. "We do need to start reporting to Starfleet. Our communications array was damaged during the initial attack, so we haven't been able to report the Borg activity to Starfleet Command. They need to start gathering ships to counter this new invasion, and I get the feeling we'll need to rally both the Klingons and our Romulan allies if we want this quadrant to still exist in the next few weeks."

"There is…one more issue to consider." So'Gam said, his eyes still fixated on Harrison. "You could have used the Vengeance to continue to destroy Federation ships that were close to the border. That way, they could not report back to Starfleet Command about the Borg sightings. However, you took a risk by entering Federation space and attacking the memorial center. That was unnecessary, illogical…it had to have been driven by emotion."

"…Just like a Vulcan to see right through me." Harrison conceded. "I lost more than just my faith in Starfleet the day of the attack on Vega Colony. I lost my wife…my daughter…After that, I became numb. Nothing mattered to me anymore except exacting my vengeance on those responsible for it."

"That is no excuse." So'Gam said. "You will stay on this ship until we return you to Earth for your trial. You will answer for your crimes, for today and for three years ago."

"I'm sure the Borg will hold off their invasion of the entire Alpha Quadrant for the trial of one man…"

* * *

The doors to So'Gam's ready room slid open as he gave orders not to be disturbed unless for an emergency. He sat down and ordered the computer to open a link to Starfleet Command.

Quinn appeared on the screen.

"Vice Admiral Quinn." So'Gam greeted him.

"Admiral So'Gam. My people are telling me that you and another ship chased that terrorist down. What's your status?"

"Minor damage to the Justice and the Philosopher. The ship that attacked earth is called the U.S.S Vengeance. The man responsible for the attack is a former Starfleet officer by the name of John Harrison. If you remember, he is the one who stole technical plans off my ship three years ago. He is currently being held in the brig."

Quinn pinched the bridge of his nose, closing his eyes in disappointment. "I told you back then, didn't I? If you had killed him then and there, none of this would have happened."

"Admiral, my response to that course of action is the same as before. I will not murder him. As dangerous as he is, he is still a human being who, under Federation law, has a right to trial."

"I'm not going to have this argument with you, So'Gam. I'm assuming there's more to this."

"Borg activity, Vice Admiral. They have returned."

"I'm going to have a word with the Federation Council. I feel this time they have no choice but to deploy the Invasive Program."

"Invasive Program, sir?"

"It's a special program developed by Geordi La Forge and Data over 40 years ago. The purpose of it was to spread itself throughout the Collective, presenting an unsolvable problem to the Borg that would force its total attention to solving it. It would eventually starve and destroy the entire collective, finishing the Borg off completely."

"If such a program existed all of this time, why did we not employ it sooner?"

"Picard was captain of the Enterprise at the time." Quinn said. "He chose not to use it. The reasoning was that it equated to genocide, the eradication of the Borg species. However, now we know more about the Borg. They barely count as a species; their drones are made up of countless other races that have been assimilated. They cannot be reasoned with and cannot be pushed away anymore. They intend to destroy us, leaving us with no choice…I know we've never agreed on much over the years, So'Gam, but I think we can agree on this. The Borg must be destroyed."

"…I understand, Vice Admiral." So'Gam said. "If the Federation Council agrees to it, I will ensure the Invasive Program is delivered to the Borg."

"All right. I'll send you the Invasive Program. Of course, knowing you, I'm positive you won't use it until the Federation Council has approved of it. I want you to be able to deploy it as soon as that happens. And keep a very close eye on Harrison. We don't know what other plans he may have had."

"Understood, Vice Admiral. So'Gam out." With that, his monitor shut off. So'Gam was about to get up when the monitor suddenly flashed back on. This time, a different man was on the screen. Much younger then Quinn, with short blonde hair and some sort of scar on his right cheek. So'Gam recognized him immediately.

"Drake…I should have expected a call from you." So'Gam said.

"It's good to see you too, Admiral." Drake responded. "My sources have told me that you managed to chase down and stop the Vengeance. Did Harrison tell you anything before you-"

"He told me everything." So'Gam said. "That Section 31 had been suppressing knowledge of the Borg since Archer encountered them." His voice was a bit more aggressive than usual. He never did like the extremely secretive nature of Section 31. Even after their existence was made public to the general population, they were never truly extinguished.

"I see…Admiral, do you think that when Picard first encountered the Borg, that the Federation was ready to fight them?"

"…the only logical answer is no." So'Gam said. "It was by sheer ingenuity that we survived their incursions in the past. As a matter of firepower, we were highly outmatched."

"Then do you think that Starfleet during Archer's time was ready to deal with them? Or Kirk during the 23rd century? We didn't suppress the information for some dastardly reason, Admiral. We kept it a secret because we knew we weren't ready to face them. If the Borg had come any sooner than they did, the Federation would no longer exist. There was no point in warning anyone to something we were powerful to stop. What would be the alternative? Militarizing Starfleet? As much as I'd like to see a fully prepared Starfleet, even I know that would a morally dubious response. Luckily, we've defeated the Borg enough times for our technology to catch up."

"And what about Harrison?"

"He was a good agent, to be sure. But he let emotions get in the way of his job. He stole the plans for the Dreadnaught class and made a run for it. He was out of our hands at that point."

"Did you lose too many people when he launched his attack?"

"A few, unfortunately, but like Starfleet officers, Section 31 agents know the risk that comes with the job. Now, I understand you should have the Invasive Program by now. You have your work cut out for you, Admiral, but considering what I know about your resourcefulness, I think you'll come out on top."

"I do not believe I require your vote of confidence." So'Gam said. "I will ensure the Borg do not destroy the Federation, and afterward, I will bring Harrison in to testify against Section 31 and finally shut your organization down."

"Wait, Harrison is still alive?" Drake asked, concern in his voice.

"Yes, he is."

"Admiral, you have to kill him now, before he escapes and steals the program!'

"He is locked up in the brig. He has no way of escaping that easily, and he is not even aware of the Invasive Program."

"You don't understand, So'Gam. Harrison is an Augment!"

Chapter 6

Augmented Escape

Referencing a lot of material here. First off, of course is Star Trek: First Contact for the battle of Sector 001. Star Trek: Enterprise and the episode Regeneration. Star Trek: TNG and the episode "I, Borg" for the Invasive Program. Both DS9 and Enterprise for the various Section 31 references.

The one I'll bet you're really wondering about is the mention of Kirk and the Borg. They never met in any of the shows or movies, right? Well, Kirk actually did confront the Borg once in the video game Star Trek: Legacy. Kirk wasn't able to identify them as the Borg, but it was obvious based on the description of their abilities and the shape of their ships that they were Borg. It was a pretty fun game, the ships were nicely detailed and it had the actors of all 5 captains from every series voicing their characters in game. The gameplay was very similar to Star Trek: Online, complete with forward and aft weaponry, shield and hull health bars, and the ability to choose any kind of ship you want. The only differences were that the shield didn't have separate sections, and you had a limited number of photon torpedoes to work with. Nonetheless, the game was servicable and if you're a really big fan of Star Trek (You wouldn't be reading this otherise), then I suggest you track it down and play it.


	6. Chapter 6

Authors Note: Sorry this one took a little while, I actually suffered a bit of writers block for a moment there, the type that stopped me halfway through Prime Directive, but I churned it out, and I really like how this chapter shaped up.

Chapter 6

Augmented Escape

Vi'cky had her arms crossed. There were four other security guards, all equipped with phaser rifles, so she didn't feel the need to have her weapon out as well. She was simply staring at the man in the brig, Harrison. Harrison, in turn, simply stood there, staring back. Finally, he decided to break the silence.

"…You two must have been pretty close."

"Don't even talk about him, you monster." Vi'cky quickly shot back. "He was a good man, and you killed him for no good reason."

"I had a reason."

"Not a good one."

"Andorian…I know that you're anxious to take your revenge on me…but your captain ordered that I remain alive. I don't understand his obsession with keeping me alive. It's obvious you don't agree with his decision. Quite frankly, I don't either…"

"So'Gam has his reasons." Vi'cky said as she heard the sound of the doors sliding open. It was Jil'eesa, holding up a touch pad for Vi'cky.

"Commander, our initial scans of the Vengeance." Jil'eesa said to her.

"Find a way past the shielding yet?"

"Not yet, Commander. The obvious course of action would be to question the prisoner."

"A splendid plan." Harrison said in a nearly mocking tone. "Unfortunately, you need a prisoner to carry that out."

The lights suddenly dimmed, the room filling with the sound of equipment powering down. The force field closing off the brig dropped, allowing Harrison to quickly jump out. He was prepared for his escape, quickly dispatching of the four guards and their weapons. Both Vi'cky and Jil'eesa had more expertise in fighting, however. They quickly aimed to stun Harrison, but the shots only made him wince. He grabbed their weapons, slamming them onto the floor.

"All right, Andorian. I'll indulge you. Don't you want your revenge?"

"Another group of officers will be here soon." Jil'eesa said.

"I'll be gone by then." Harrison stated. "Now, are you going to take your revenge or not?"

Vi'cky immediately went in for a punch, but Harrison not only blocked her, but countered, giving her a push that sent her hurtling into the wall.

Jil'eesa could only watch at the strength required to shove a body across the room like that. Vi'cky flinched as she hit the wall, knocking her out. Now it was just her and Harrison.

"That was disappointing…I don't suppose you'd put up much more of a fight."

"We scanned your body for any abnormalities." Jil'eesa said. "You are not cybernetically enhanced. You are a regular human being. When you rule out the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth…You are an augment."

"Excellent deduction skills. I suppose now you know it's pointless to resist me."

"Maybe so, but even an augment can be killed with phaser fire. You cannot escape this ship."

At that moment, Harrison started to disappear in that familiar twinkle of lights. He was being transported somewhere.

* * *

"You allowed Harrison to become an augment?" So'Gam had never heard himself sound so stern. Were he emotional, he'd be yelling at the screen. The fact that he had an urge to do that concerned him.

"It was an experimental phase, So'Gam." Drake responded. "He volunteered for the procedure. We saw from Doctor Julian Bashir how useful it could be to have an augment agent. It backfired, I know, but that's why I'm telling you to kill hi-"

"Captain!" The communicator said. "It's Yoana. The Vengeance has just lowered its shields. At the same time, we lost power to certain sections of the ship, including the brig!"

"Harrison…is he still there?"

"…No, sir, he isn't."

"I will be at the bridge in a moment. We will talk later." So'Gam said, cutting off his transmission with Drake.

So'Gam marched onto the bridge, quickly taking his seat. "Status report."

"Sir, Vi'cky and Jil'eesa are reporting from the brig. Harrison beamed away, and the Vengeance just raised up its shields again."

"We have to assume that Harrison is back aboard the Vengeance. Warn the Enterprise and the Philosopher to raise shields."

"Sir, the Vengeance is attacking!"

The bridge shook as the Justice took damage. They could see on the view screen that it also fired phaser blasts at the Enterprise and the Philosopher before turning, its nacelles lighting up blue, going to warp.

"Yoana!"

"Standby, sir…no casualties to report. He targeted our warp nacelles, same with the other ships."

So'Gam hit a button on his chair. "Engineering, report."

"Warp speed is unavailable, Captain. The damage to the nacelle isn't serious, but It'll take at least an hour to repair." Car'los reported.

"I'd imagine Shon and Gomez are having similar issues." Yoana said. "Looks like he didn't want to be followed."

"Yes, but we are missing something here…" So'Gam pondered. "He is an augment…he would not have allowed us to overpower his ship and capture him if not for a specific reason."

"I think I have that reason, captain." Yoana said, looking back at him. "Scanners aren't tracking the Vengeance at the moment. It's scanning the Justice. Somehow, the Vengeance has the same Federation transponder as the Justice."

So'Gam sunk into his seat. "It was how he was able to move freely in Federation space. Perhaps a device capable of mimicking another ship's transponder…that means that even with the decryption protection, the Vengeance also received the Invasive Program…"

"Captain?"

The Vulcan admiral suddenly stood up, tapping his com badge. "All bridge officers to the briefing room. Lieutenant Velma, ensigns Mi'key and Jil'eesa are to report there as well."

He turned to Yoana. "Before you go, Yoana, hail captains Shon and Gomez. Have them beam over to attend this briefing."

* * *

The briefing room had never been so full. All of the bridge officers, Vi'cky, Yoana, and Car'los, were present, and sitting across them were Velma, Jil'eesa and Mi'key. Captain's Shon and Gomez were sitting near Admiral So'Gam. He had already explained the situation to all of them, though leaving out the parts about his correspondence with Section 31. He didn't want to drag Shon or Gomez into what he has had to deal with.

"So Harrison has the Invasive Program." Mi'key stated. "Does that really matter? We have it, too. It's not like he erased it from our computer banks or anything. We can still infect the Borg with it and stop this war."

"Unfortunately, it's never that simple." Car'los said from across the table. "I've been studying the Invasive Program along with Yoana. It is a complex paradoxical puzzle program that is implanted in the subspace transceiver of a Borg drone. We know what it does, but the problem is that if the program is introduced to the Borg in the wrong way, perhaps by pointing out why the puzzle has no solution, it will no longer work on them. We think Harrison knows this, there's no other explanation as to why he had his ship receive the program as well and go to warp. We have to assume that he's already introduced it to the Borg, and that it is no longer effective."

Shon's antennae drooped a bit. "Then there goes our contingency plan."

"Not exactly." Car'los said. "If we can introduce a modified version of the program, one that predicts their way of solving the puzzle and making it unsolvable again, it might still work. Harrison is good, I'm sure, but I doubt he has the technical expertise to counter that."

"It would stand to reason that Harrison has only had the program for the same amount of time that we have." So'Gam said. "He must have attacked the memorial center after his ship detected that they didn't have the program, and figured he could get it out of Starfleet by stealing it from us. He doesn't have a team of scientists and engineers to make any modifications to it. Now is our chance to infect the Borg with a modified version of the Program. However, we have another problem…"

"We have orders from Starfleet." Shon said. "Starfleet Command feels it necessary to repair the Enterprise as fast as possible so that it'll be combat ready…the Klingons have also detected the increase in Borg activity. They've called for an honorable ceasefire so that we can join forces to combat this threat. The entire collective is descending upon us. They can't afford to let their pride get in the way of this one."

"The Justice has also been ordered to return to Earth to prepare for the final confrontation." So'Gam said. "They've placed me and Shon in command of the massive Federation-Klingon-Romulan fleet that will be amassing to meet the Borg. I need my bridge officers, my most experienced and trusted people, to fight with me. However, I have another group of now experienced officers who I can trust with the Invasive Program."

Everyone seemed to turn their heads to Velma, Jil'eesa and Mi'key. Mi'key didn't like being the center of attention. Jil'eesa simply raised an eyebrow. Velma looked a little shocked. "Wait…you're trusting us with the Invasive Program?" Velma asked. "But the Justice is going to be returning to Earth, we can't wait for the Borg to arrive there to use it on them."

"That's why you will be onboard the Philosopher." So'Gam said. "I convinced Starfleet Command of the necessity of this mission. They are allowing the Philosopher to remain here and search for a Borg ship on which to inflict the Invasive Program. The Philosopher is an escort ship, and its crew lacks the expertise needed to modify the program, their expertise lies in combat. You and Mi'key must work together on the modifications, while Jil'eesa works with the crew of the Philosopher on a way to board a Borg ship and implant the program on a drone. You will need the firepower of the Philosopher to disable a Borg ship, and to fight off the Vengeance should it appear again."

"So'Gam…"

"Lieutenant, you have your orders." So'Gam said, addressing her before his voice took a softer tone. "I would not give you this important mission if I did not believe you were capable of it. The fate of the Federation now depends on what all of us do in the next few days…"

"I took the liberty of sending a subspace message to every long range science vessel in the area." Vi'cky said. She had been rubbing an area around her shoulder. She was still slightly injured from her fight with Harrison.

"I sent them a message to be on the lookout for any Borg activity and to report back on any Borg Vessels they may find…" She picked up a PADD and read off of it. "Captain Drel of the U.S.S Wayfarer has already spotted a Borg probe ship. The coordinates have been sent to the Philosopher."

"We have our game plan." Gomez said with a grin. "Now is the time to execute it."

"Dismissed."

As everyone got up, determined to make it through the next few days, Velma approached Captain Gomez.

"I have a question, I bet you get this a lot…why are you wearing a VISOR? You know there are ocular implants now, right?"

"I don't like the idea of someone performing surgery on my eyes. Creeps me out too much."

"They didn't perform it on you when you were born?"

"I wasn't born blind. It was an accident I suffered a few years ago. I don't really mind, though. I actually like wearing this."

"If you say so…"

Yoana and Mi'key bumped into each other near the door. They looked at each other, as if only now realizing that they were about to be separated. Yoana waited until everyone had left the room to give Mi'key a tight hug. Mi'key slowly placed his arms around her. They didn't speak for several seconds. Even though they had only begun seeing each other, the weight of everything was descending on them. Despite what started out as what humans referred to as a fling, the thought of the end of their way of life brought them closer.

"You be careful out there…" Mi'key said quietly.

"I should be saying that to you…" Yoana responded, a smile creeping up on her face.

"You know I'm the careful one…if anything happens to me, just blame Velma, okay?"

"Done." Her immediate response to his request made them both chuckle a bit.

* * *

"Admiral!" Velma caught up with So'Gam, wanting one final word with him.

So'Gam stopped walking and turned around. "Yes, Lieutenant?"

"Are you sure about all this? About sending me and my group? I mean, I'm confident in our abilities, but there has to be other experts on this ship."

"If there were, you would have suggested them to me by now." So'Gam replied. "Velma…do you feel you are not up to the task?"

"What? No, I am, I just…I don't know…" She looked down at the ground. For the first time in a long time, she didn't know what to say. So'Gam could tell, though. She was exhibiting the same sort of hesitation he had when he first took command of a crew.

"…Velma, I am certain that you will carry out your mission. This is not about glory or pride. I am not testing you, and you are not wrong to be confident in yourself. Your mission requires that sort of…arrogance. If you do not act with certainty, then the Borg will destroy you."

Velma listened to her captain, taking in his advice. If only she knew this was the same advice that Picard had given him so many years ago.

* * *

"CARRYING OUT DIRECTIVE 683. REROUTING ALL AVAILABLE CUBES. NEW OBJECTIVE. DESTROY GOVERNMENTAL POWERS, UNITED FEDERATION OF PLANETS. KLINGON EMPIRE. ROMULAN STAR EMPIRE. ROMULAN REPUBLIC. THE ALPHA QUADRANT WILL BE DEFENSELESS ONCE THESE POWERS ARE ELIMINATED. BEGIN FULL INVASION. FIRST DESTINATION IS SECTOR 001…WARNING, SHIP IS APPROACHING, BEARING 256 POINT 15. UNKNOWN SHIP DESIGN. DESIGNATION U.S.S VENGEANCE. THREAT LEVEL EXTREME."

Next time on Justice: Vengeance

Chapter 7

The Final Stand

Authors Notes: If you blinked, you may have missed a reference to another author on this site. Thanks to Space Viking for allowing me the use of her captain and ship. We now have a shared universe and we are currently planning out some collaborative work.  
More references here. The Invasive Program is from the TNG episode "I, Borg", though I may have mentioned that in the last chapter. Harrison being an augment is *spoiler alert* a reference to Harrison being an augment, Khan, in Star Trek Into Darkness (Getting the Blu-ray edition as soon as it's released.) The VISOR is what Le Forge wore during TNG. I liken them to glasses, while the ocular implants are contacts. So, the VISOR is also a little reference to myself, as I prefer glasses over contacts for very much the same reason.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

The Final Stand

The turbolift doors opened to the bridge of the Philosopher. Velma was doing the best she could to hold back any comments about how small and cramped the Philosopher felt compared to the Justice. She had only had a brief tour of the now legendary U.S.S Defiant after the mission to re-take Deep Space Nine. This ship was nearly identical, but without the prestige that came with the Defiant's history, all she really felt was cramped.

Captain Gomez was sitting in his seat. When he heard the turbolift doors open, he stood up and turned to face them.

"Permission to come aboard?" Velma asked, Jil'eesa and Mi'key standing behind her.

"Permission granted." Gomez said with a confident smile. There was something about him that was much different than So'Gam. Standing next to him was his first officer; a dark skinned female Vulcan by the name of Jess'ica.

"This is my first officer, Commander Jess'ica." Gomez said. "She's one of my two primary tactical officers, the other being Ensign Jannas."

Jannas, a tall female human with long, red hair stood up from her console when her name was called.

"Lieutenant Commander Ro'drigo is my Chief Engineer." A male Andorian stood up from his console.

"And finally, Lieutenant Caitlyn is my science officer." Gomez concluded as the Trill science officer stood up. "Velma, you'll be working with her to modify the Invasive Program. Now, with all the introductions out of the way, I can brief my bridge officers. The Enterprise has compiled all the data that they collected from the wreckage of the Berman and information we have coming in right now. The Borg will be entering Federation space in approximately four days. That's four days to refit the Enterprise, four days for the Justice to help organize the counter-offensive, and four days for us to locate the lone Borg probe and infect them with the Invasive Program. We have a lot of work to do, so make sure you afford Velma and her people everything they need."

"In that case, I need to contact the Daystrom institute." Velma said. "So'Gam advised me of someone that might be able to help with the modifications…"

* * *

"I have never seen a repair team move this…efficiently." So'Gam remarked to Shon. Both captains were So'Gam's ready room, standing by a window, looking out. The Justice was orbiting Earth, next to a repair station the Enterprise was currently docked in.

"Well, it's not a refit." Shon said. "The Enterprise is already up to speed with the latest technology, same as the Justice. We just took a lot of battle damage from the Vengeance."

"Indeed…the Vengeance has proven to be the most powerful ship I have ever come across."

"She was able to remotely shut down certain power relays on your ship. Raise and lower shields in an instant. I wonder if that fake transponder device is a separate device or a part of the ship itself."

"We may never know, Captain." So'Gam said. "If I ever come across the Vengeance again, I will do everything in my power to ensure its destruction."

Shon frowned a bit and looked at So'Gam. "That sounds…a bit like revenge."

"Nothing of the sort." So'Gam replied, though it did line up nicely with what the more emotional side of him wanted. "Harrison and the Vengeance are just as dangerous to the existence of the Federation as the Borg. I have studied whatever information our sensors obtained from the Vengeance. Nearly every asset, every design choice of the Dreadnaught class contradicts what Federation engineers favor when creating a ship. It is a warship, there is no doubt about that, one designed to destroy the Klingon Empire and now updated to destroy Federation ships."

Shon looked back at the Enterprise. "I bet it would really help against the Borg…"

"That sort of help we could do without." So'Gam said. "I suggest you check on the status of the retrofit. It would help if the Enterprise was ready before the Borg arrive."

"If you want me out of the room so you can think alone, you just have to say it." Shon said in a light teasing manner.

"That was not my intention. I was merely-"

"Admiral, sorry to interrupt." Vi'cky said over the comm. "A ship had just decloaked about 4 kilometers away from us. Wait, stand by…another ship has decloaked. Three more…Five more…."

"The Klingons?"

"No…I believe it's the Romulan fleet."

So'Gam and Shon looked at each other.

"I didn't think they'd be able to mobilize so quickly." Shon said.

"Perhaps the Romulan Republic is eager to assist us."

They walked out onto the bridge, the image on screen surprising them both.

A massive fleet of ships was decloaking before them, most of them having the familiar green hue Romulan ships were known to have. The warbirds littered the screen, stationing themselves in orbit around Earth.

One ship decloaked right in front of the Justice, the decloaking process slowly revealing the long, angled wings and eventually the bridge of the ship.

"Admiral, a Romulan ship has just decloaked about 500 meters in front of us" Vi'cky said. "The R.R.W T'Rul. I haven't seen a ship like this before. It appears to be a Scimitar class. Near perfect cloak, 42 disruptor banks and 23 torpedo bays. Sir, I didn't know the Romulan Republic had Scimitar class ships."

"Neither did I, Commander."

"The T'Rul is hailing us."

"On screen."

The view screen flickered to the new image. A female Romulan appeared. Her short hair seemed very reminiscent of the type of hair most female Vulcan's had. Her uniform did indeed make her Romulan, but there was something about how she looked that gave her Vulcan-like characteristics.

"I am Admiral Sellis of the Romulan Republic Warbird T'Rul. Proconsol D'Tan sends his regards, as well as the full support of the New Romulan Republic."

Shon smiled at her. "Welcome to Earth, Admiral Sellis. It's good to see the Romulan Republic is taking this threat seriously."

"The entire Alpha Quadrant, as well as the rest of the galaxy, is at stake. We will stand by our allies, for the sake of both our home worlds."

* * *

So'Gam's ready room had become a sort of war room. He had spoken with a number of officers already, drawing out battle plans and strategic formations. He was studying Starfleet's personal profile for Sellis, and had come across a rather odd fact. She was a Romulan/Vulcan hybrid.

He was studying the rest of her profile when the door beeped.

"Come." So'Gam said, looking up to see Sellis walk in. She was much…shorter then he imagined her.

"It is agreeable to meet you, Sellis." So'Gam began, standing up from his seat. "From what I understand, you will be leading the Romulan wing of the fleet. You will be in direct contact with the two Federation command ships, the Enterprise and the Justice."

"Understood, Admiral." Sellis responded. The exchange was simple enough, but beneath both of them were other thoughts.

"It has also come to my attention your unique…heritage. You are a Romulan/Vulcan hybrid."

"That is correct, Admiral, though I don't see what this has to do with my ability to command."

"I was not questioning that. Merely an observation."

The two did not speak for a moment. There was little tension in the air. They had no reason to dislike each other. Yet, their past histories seemed to be on each other's minds.

"So'Gam…I assure you that the Romulan Fleet will perform to the best of its ability."

"Of that I have no doubt." So'Gam said before looking away. "…My apologies. I do not have as strong of an emotional wall as other Vulcans do. Until a short while ago, I did not trust any Romulan. A certain incident a few months ago changed that perception, but it is not easy to overcome. I understand that the Romulan Republic does not operate like the Tal Shiar. I did not mean to imply such a thing."

"I see." Sellis said. "I felt the same way for a long time about your people and the Federation, yet here I am. I don't feel that you're discriminating against me. We will be working together on this counter attack, and hopefully beyond that as well…Admiral, I am aware that you have sent a transmission to the Tal Shiar."

"We have attempted to send a message to them, detailing the threat of the Borg invasion. However, we did not ask them to join our counter attack. It was difficult enough to bring in the Klingons."

"Which reminds me. The Klingons have not sent the Romulan fleet any communications codes. Do they intend to ignore us?"

"You are not the only ones." So'Gam replied. "It was one of the conditions Chancellor J'mpok requested when he called for the ceasefire. The Klingons will not be part of the command hierarchy of the fleet. They will act on their own."

"Are you certain of that, Admiral? Won't it be a strategic disadvantage to not be able to coordinate with the Klingons, especially considering the immense firepower the Klingons have at their disposal?"

"For any other enemy, I would agree with you. However, the Borg do not rely on strategy. In the past, they have always relied on superior technology and strength in numbers. It was obvious from their failing war with the Undine that there are certain times they cannot adapt. And from the Battle of Sector 001, we learned that they refused to change their tactics. They must have realized we would be more effective at attacking their ships, yet they simply sent one Borg cube with no change of strategy. I believe the Borg will do the same now. The Klingons live for battle and seek a satisfying death…I do not see a need to stop them from doing what they want, especially if it causes a large amount of damage to the Borg."

"I see…So'Gam, do you believe we will win this engagement with the Borg?"

So'Gam didn't answer. This was the thought in the back of everyone's mind. Every able officer was working around the clock to ensure battle systems were ready. The busy work seemed to help distract them from what everyone was really worried about. Assimilation. The end of modern society. The end of free will.

"…We will do everything we can to stop them, Sellis. I have a team out near Federation borders that will hopefully provide an alternative way to end this conflict. Until then, the Borg must contend with us. I plan on making their invasion….difficult."

* * *

"…and I think that about covers it. Even if the Borg see this coming, they won't be able to counter it. I have to admit, this new puzzle hurts my brain just from reading it."

It had been three days since she left the Justice. Velma and her team had been working hard. Mi'key provided the engineering expertise she needed, ensuring that whatever changes made to the Invasive Program would be compatible with what he knew about Borg subspace transceivers. Jil'eesa was helping Gomez's tactical officers. They had come up with a rather simple plan, with most of the effort focused on what to do if anything went wrong. They couldn't simply beam a Borg drone onto the ship. They would have to attack the probe ship to get its attention, disable it, and stun a drone before beaming it over. Velma was worried about the plan, of course, but she knew it was all necessary to deliver the Program properly.

At the moment, though, she had used the modifications as an excuse to contact someone she looked up to. A woman who had served alongside Captain Janeway on Voyager. It had been over 30 years since their return from the Delta Quadrant, but a combination of modern medical science and her remaining Borg physiology had kept her looking relatively young and beautiful.

"I can't thank you enough for your help, Seven." Velma said, looking at her on the monitor. Seven of Nine was in a lab at the Daystrom Institute.

"There is no need for gratitude. I am doing what I can to protect my home world."

"I know…Are you sure about this? I know you aren't really Borg anymore, but you do still…well, I mean, you don't ACT like one…I mean not very much…Not to say you aren't human, you definitely are, I just…"

"Lieutenant. I am aware of your…infatuation with my time aboard Voyager. Janeway is an excellent role model, I admit, but you do not need to be so subtle with me. The fact is that while the Borg did indeed raise me, I am no longer a drone. While I find much of humanity to be…trivial, it is here now that I belong. And if I want to continue living here, I must do everything I can to ensure its survival."

"Right…well, thank you for your assistance, Seven. If I could speak candidly, why don't you go by your human name?"

"I believe the reason for that is sentimentality. Seven of Nine, Tertiary Adjunct of Unimatrix 01 is what I am accustomed to. The use of my human name is reserved for more-"

"Annika!" A male voice said, singing each syllable. The door to the lab behind her had opened, and Velma could see a familiar face. She was about to call out to him when she realized that this wasn't the Justice's Doctor, but THE Doctor. He was wearing a lab coat, and had changed his program to look a little more mature, mirroring the look of Lewis Zimmerman, his creator. The Doctor never lost his fondness for singing.

Seven sighed. "…personal use." She finished her sentence.

"Makes sense." Velma said.

"The strawberry tarts you wanted are ready, perfectly made by yours truly."

"I will meet you in the mess hall, Joe, thank you." Seven said from her seat. The Doctor took the hint and made his exit.

"Joe? I was expecting The Doctor to come up with a better sounding name then…Joe…"

* * *

The U.S.S Philosopher dropped out of warp near a blue gas giant. The Borg probe they had been following was in orbit around it.

"Caitlyn, report." Captain Gomez said from his seat.

"Stand by…class J gas giant, no orbiting moons. Nothing that will get in the way of the plan."

"Good. The probe must have noticed us by now. Shields up, red alert. Attack pattern Beta. Let's catch ourselves a probe."

Velma had her eyes on Captain Gomez as he gave out orders. He had a confident smile on his face, but not just any smile. Her captain may have been Vulcan, but he had seen enough captains to know when a smile on the job meant that something went well, or that they were enjoying themselves. This seemed to be the latter. Gomez was taking delight in the upcoming battle.

The Philosopher moved quickly, rushing the elongated Borg ship.

"Fire at will, Commander. Target whatever systems you can find on it, weapons, engines, anything."

The bridged started to shake a bit.

"Captain, they've locked on a tractor beam!" Caitlyn said.

"Cute. Fire on the source of the tractor beam. We're not going anywhere, there's no need for that…"

The Philosopher fired two quantum torpedoes, hitting the point of origin of the tractor beam. At that moment, a single green energy blast shot out of the probe, hitting the Philosopher.

"Sir, shields are failing." Jess'ica reported.

At that moment, 3 blurs of green light appeared on the bridge. They materialized into three Borg drones, their black metallic armor and cybernetic parts being a dead giveaway.

Jess'ica took out a phaser, having prepared beforehand by programming it to randomize frequencies. She shot two of the Borg, both tumbling down to the floor.

The third one had beamed in closer to Velma and Mi'key. Velma took out her phaser, also programmed to change frequencies, and fired at it. The blast was blocked by the Borg's energy shielding.

"It adapted!" Velma said as she stepped away from it. "Put the force field up!"

Faster than anyone could have thought, the Borg reached out, its thin tubules shooting out towards Velma.

Mi'key didn't have much time to think about anything except the mission. If they assimilate Velma, who knew the most about the new modifications to the Invasive Program, then it would all be over. He extended his arm, the tubules hitting him instead. The force field came up just then, trapping the Borg drone, its tubules retreating back to its own body. It was too late, however.

"No!" Velma was against the wall now. She watched, powerless as Mi'key was infected by Borg nanoprobes. His expression became lifeless, becoming one with the collective. He started to dematerialize, being beamed back over to the Borg probe ship along with the two dead drones, though the last remaining one couldn't be beamed back.

"Captain, our shields have returned." Jess'ica reported. "It appears the Borg probe has ceased its attack for now. We may have weakened it enough for it to require repairs."

Velma looked at the spot where Mi'key had been. She was in charge of the mission, given to her by So'Gam. She succeeded with the Invasive Program, but she lost a friend. A companion who had been with her from the start. She had a look of disbelief on her face.

"As long as our shields are up…Commander, find a way to get that drone to sickbay so we can begin with the program." Gomez said. "Incapacitate it if you have to. The rest of you, start planning out the rescue mission. We're not leaving that ensign in there. We're going to save him."

"Captain…there is an incoming ship, bearing 632-56. It is the Justice."

"They came to assist us? That wasn't part of the…Oh crap. I think we just hit a snag. On screen."

The ship that dropped out of warp near them was the last ship they wanted to see. Everyone recognized the black hull of the Vengeance.

* * *

"I advise everyone to remember this moment. Not since the Dominion War has the Alpha Quadrant come together like this."  
The bridge was silent. Everyone was prepared for the battle they knew would likely be their last. There was a mute tension in the air; one that So'Gam had hoped would not be present. It was a feeling he had experienced during the attack on Vega Colony. This time, however, he had the backing up three major powers. The Borg would have to pry the Alpha Quadrant from their control.

The Justice and the Enterprise were at the forefront, followed closely by the T'Rul, all ready for combat. Behind them was the largest fleet ever assembled in recorded history. Hundreds of ships from every corner of the quadrant. Federation ships, Klingon battle cruisers, Romulan war birds. They flew side by side, ready to meet the challenge ahead of them. The Borg fleet had finally entered Federation space. They were ignoring every populated area, heading straight into the heart of the Federation itself, Sector 001. They also took the same route they took the first time they attempted an invasion like that. It was as if the Borg knew the significance of where the battle was taking place. The Federation-Romulan-Klingon Fleet was ready to intercept them at Wolf 359.

"Captain, the Borg Fleet is dropping out of warp." Vi'cky said. "Putting it up on the view screen."

An image only Janeway and her crew had seen before. Hundreds of Borg cubes, each needing at least 5 ships to destroy. Every Borg cube began to emit a green energy wave, scanning every ship in the fleet.

"We've just been scanned…Doesn't look like they're moving forward just yet."

"WE ARE THE BORG." Without warning, the Borg had begun broadcasting to the opposing fleet. The words of their typical greeting echoed throughout the bridge of the Justice. "LOWER YOUR SHIELDS AND PREPARE FOR ASSIMILATION. YOUR BIOLOGICAL AND TECHNOLOGICAL DISTINCTIVENESS WILL BE ADDED TO OUR OWN. RESISTANCE IS FUTILE."

"Open a hailing frequency." So'Gam said. When Vi'cky had the channel opening, So'Gam took a deep breath.

"This is Admira-"

"ADMIRAL SO'GAM, SPECIES 3259, VULCAN, OF THE FEDERATION STAR SHIP U.S.S JUSTICE, REGISTRY NUMBER NCC-91888-D, ODYSSEY CLASS. CAPTAIN VA'KEL SHON, SPECIES 3288, ANDORIAN, OF THE FEDERATION FLAG SHIP U.S.S ENTERPRISE, REGISTRY NUMBER NCC-1701-F, ODYSSEY CLASS. OUR SCANS OF YOUR COMMUNICATIONS REVEAL THAT YOU TWO ARE LEADING THE FLEET. ORDER YOUR SHIPS TO LOWER SHIELDS AND ESCORT US TO SECTOR 001. THE FEDERATION WILL BE THE FIRST GOVERNMENT POWER TO BE DESTROYED."

"…Cut the channel." So'Gam said. "There really is nothing to say to them now."

"Sir, the Borg are beginning to advance." Vi'cky reported. "Seems the klingons are being trigger happy. They're already moving ahead to intercept."

"Then let the battle be joined." So'Gam said, rising from his seat. "All ships, raise shields and prepare to intercept. We stop the Borg here and now."

* * *

Mi'key opened his eyes, not sure of where he was at the moment. Wherever he was appeared to be…surreal. He looked around, seeing the memories of his life floating around. The moment he was accepted into Starfleet Academy. The moment he met Velma, and his destiny being changed forever. The moment the Justice escaped the black hole at Deep Space Nine.

His promotion to Ensign. His weird dream about Jil'eesa.

Meeting Yoana.

He noticed something else. His memories were being taken over, mechanized into something else. Something Borg.

"Hi there!"

Mi'key turned to look at whoever just greeted him. It was someone he knew, but she looked…different. Younger. More outgoing.

"…Yoana?"

Next time on Justice: Vengeance

Chapter 8

Justice into Vengeance

Authors Notes: Couple of things to mention here. Another cross over again, Admiral Sellis and the R.R.W T'Rul belong to Space Viking, who will be introducing her in his own stories at some point. The scene where the Romulan fleet decloaked around Earth was his idea, too.

I wanted SO BADLY to have Seven of Nine as a more viral part of this story, but as I was typing this, I couldn't find a place to fit her in, so in the end, she was relegated to a very funny cameo. SEVEN OF NINE AND THE DOCTOR FOREVER!

Also, I learned recently that at a recent Star Trek convention, Star Trek Into Darkness was considered the worst movie in the series. Seriously? Like..really? Sure, it was unoriginal, but it was fun to watch, the music was great, the ships were sleek and sexy...you're telling me it's worse then Final Frontier? That it's more boring then Insurrection? That it did more to kill the franchise then Nemesis?

And now, because no one in particular asked for it, my personal list of Star Trek films from best to worst.

Star Trek 4: The Voyage Home

Star Trek 2: The Wrath of Khan

Star Trek 2009

Star Trek 6: The Undiscovered Country

Star Trek Into Darkness

Star Trek: The Motion Picture

Star Trek 3: The Search for Spock

Star Trek: First Contact

Star Trek: Nemesis

Star Trek: Generations

Star Trek: Insurrection

Star Trek 5: The Final Frontier

Notice my dislike of most of the TNG movies. First Contact had a lot of problems of its own, but at least there were cool space battles. I actually can't really watch much of TOS, but I love the films, very well made, except, of course, for Final Frontier. Star Trek 2009 is high up there cause, as Mr. Plinkett (Look up his reviews) says, it's a quality made film, very fun, and amazing music. I find myself humming 2009's theme a lot. When I imagine what kind of background music would play for my Justice series, I hear that soundtrack.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

Justice into Vengeance

Mi'key was aware he had been assimilated. His body was likely being changed and enhanced at the moment. What he wasn't sure of was why he was stuck in his own subconscious. He could see his memories. He could see the assimilation process beginning to take them over. He could hear the faint call of billions of other voices, billions of other victims. And standing before him was one voice in particular. Yoana.

"Well, this is much weirder then the Jil'eesa thing." Mi'key said to her.

"Don't know who you're talking about, and quite frankly, I'm not going to ask." Yoana said. "Anyway, looks like you're being assimilated. The Borg will have all the knowledge your memories contain. And then you'll join the other voices that have been trapped here."

"I got that much." Mi'key said. "What I don't understand is what you're doing here."

"Isn't it obvious?" Yoana said with a smile. "I was assimilated."

"The Justice has been destroyed?"

"I don't know…not sure what ship you're talking about. I served aboard the U.S.S Blue Streak."

"Oh…then the last thing you must remember is the battle at Vega Colony. I didn't know you were assimilated during that battle."

"I was, and now I'm trapped here."

"Odd…you were eventually saved, you serve aboard the Justice now. You must be some sort of copy, an after image of Yoana's consciousness being a part of the collective."

"If you say so. If I were you, though, I'd be a bit more worried about myself. Your memories are being taken over."

"Well…it shouldn't matter too much, except that I did help Velma with the invasive program. I do have some engineering knowledge of how it works…"

* * *

It was an odd situation when the Borg ship in front of you wasn't the most pressing issue.

Gomez's smile had long since vanished, Velma had noticed. Perhaps it was due to being at such a tactical disadvantage. The Philosopher was sent because it was a very capable tactical ship, but it took the combined efforts of it and two other ships to stop the Vengeance before. Harrison meant to get himself captured, so he wasn't really even sure they had actually disabled the ship the first time.

"Sir, the Vengeance is hailing us." Jess'ica informed the Captain.

"On screen…let's see what this bastard has to say."

The screen flickered to an image of Harrison on the bridge of the Vengeance. He still had the intense, hateful look he had before. He was taking no pleasure in this. He was only doing what he felt had to be done.

"I assume since you're out here, cornering a Borg probe ship like this, that you have some other plan to stop the Borg. I'm afraid I cannot allow that to happen."

"Harrison, you're making a mistake." Gomez said, rising from his seat. "You're not only dooming the Federation, but you're dooming every other civilization in this galaxy. Billions upon billions will be assimilated if we don't stop them now. Do you want that on your conscious?"

"Starfleet is hypocrisy." Harrison said calmly. "You talk of peaceful exploration and diplomacy, yet you secretly work together with Section 31 to advance your own goals. You build warships and claim that ships like the Vengeance are unethical. Do you not agree that the Defiant class was built for war?"

"The Defiant class was designed to defend the Federation." Gomez replied. "It's not about what it was built for; it's about how we use it. I haven't gone around attacking weaker ships. That's on you, and I don't blame that on what type of ship you're flying. Science is only as intrinsically good or evil as the way we use it."

Harrison's stare became more intense, but Gomez knew it was working. He was stalling for time, and if he could make him break off his attack, the better.

"A very compelling argument, of course, but it's too late for that now." Harrison said. "I will have my revenge on Starfleet. They will pay for what they've done to me…"

"Just another Khan…"

Harrison's stare turned to someone else on the bridge. Everyone looked over to who had said it. It was Velma, who looked as if she had had about enough for one day. She was leaning against the wall, her arms folded. Her expression was just as intense.

"What did you say to me?" Harrison slowly asked.

"You heard me. You're just another Khan, another Shinzon. Khan managed to escape from his prison with his crew, but instead of leaving and finding a new place to live, he decided he had to have his revenge. His blind desire to hurt the people who had hurt him resulted in the death of him and his entire crew. Shinzon took over Romulus. He had freed himself and his Reman brethren and had the ability to remake Romulus into a society that would accept Remans, yet he just had to kill Picard, and that ended the same way for him."

"Your point?"

"Don't you see, you idiot?! You're going down that same path. You could have done so much good with what you have. You could have exposed Section 31 and their continuing operations. You could have used the Vengeance to destroy any Borg ships near our borders and discourage the Borg from invading. You could be helping the fleet trying to save everyone RIGHT NOW. But no. You have to go on blaming everyone but yourself. You were hurt, so you hurt back. Isn't it odd that you've attacked Starfleet, you've attacked Section 31, but you haven't even touched the Borg?"

"There's…nothing that can stop the Borg now-"

"There's always a way, we just have to find it, and we have! You're the one that has the power to stop us, and for what? Do you think this is what your family would have wanted?"

"My family is de-"

"They might have been assimilated! You aren't even allowing yourself to feel any hope. You've completely ignored the fact that they could be saved! Not all the Borg cubes at the Vega Colony were destroyed, some retreated! The changes I made to the Invasive Program will cut off the Borg's connection to the collective. Of course, now we don't know for sure if we can still save your family because the battle going on at Wolf 359 must have cost the Borg a couple of dozen cubes by now. Your family may have been on one of them. That one, I can blame entirely on you not warning Starfleet about the invasion."

It was indeed a thought that Harrison was ignoring, and to hear it now finally broke his calm. His eyes widened at the possibility. Any hope of seeing his family again may already be gone. He was still a man of reason, however, and no matter what way he tried to look at it, if his family had been assimilated, they may already be destroyed. It was the fault of the Borg, of course, but it may very well be his responsibility as well.

"Believe me, Harrison, I know what it's like. When you feel angry, the first thing you want to do is find something to blame. To have a target, and then take your anger out on it. But to focus your entire being on that anger is just primal. We're better than that. Vengeance is so easy and feels so good because it focuses our minds on a single goal. But you're ignoring the bigger picture."

"It's too late for me…I have nothing inside of me now but anger…"

"Maybe so…" Velma said calmly, stepping away from the wall. "But no one's perfect. All you can do is ensure that all that hatred is directed at the right source. And right now, the reason for all your troubles is at Wolf 359. Go there, and take your Vengeance on those who deserve it."

Harrison didn't look away. It was hard to tell whether any of this affected him at all. All of a sudden, the feed was cut, the view screen now showing the Vengeance once again. It began to turn, and went to warp.

Gomez looked back at Velma. "Nice work. Better then what I could have done."

"Let's just hope sending the Vengeance over there turns out well for us." Velma replied. "I'll head to sick bay and begin work on the subspace transceiver. We're not out of the woods yet. Mi'key had some knowledge of the program. We need to hope it isn't enough to stop it."

* * *

Mi'key reached out to Yoana, taking her hand.

"What are you doing?" She asked.

"I need you to do me a favor." Mi'key said. "I know you don't know me, or know what happens to you in the future, but you're someone important to me. Just…stay with me for a while. I have some information I can't allow the Borg to have. If you're with me…maybe I can resist them for just a bit longer…"

Yoana contemplated his request for a moment. After a few seconds, Mi'key felt his hand being squeezed by Yoana's.

"Okay, I can do that, for what it's worth."

"Thank you…"

* * *

The battle was not going well.

The Justice had already taken a number of hits from several Borg cubes. So'Gam was sitting in his chair, watching the battle on screen. There were so many Borg cubes and other ships flying around one could barely see the background of stars. Vi'cky was loudly giving out tactical orders. She had to command the Justice so that So'Gam could focus on coordinating the fleet. His comm. badge bleeped.

"So'Gam, its Shon. We just lost another three in the Miranda wing. The Galaxy wing isn't holding up that well either. We need a new plan."

"We have no other alternatives at this point." So'Gam said. "We must continue the assault. Stay alive, Captain, that's an order."

"Captain, I just picked up another large ship entering the battle." Yoana said.

"The Vengeance?"

"No, even larger then a cube…these readings don't make sense. I'm detecting Borg technology on it, but it's not a cube or a sphere…, Captain, I'm putting it on screen. You're not going to believe this."

The view screen changed to another image. Everyone recognized the ship. The long, tentacle-like tendrils, the torpedoes that would break into smaller pieces of shrapnel to cause even more damage to the Borg cubes. Its immense size.

"That is…the Narada!" So'Gam said, vividly remembering the events of the Hobus Supernova.

"That can't be the same ship…it was lost in a black hole."Vi'cky said. "They're hailing us."

"This is Commander Volamus of the Imperial Romulan Warbird Kavarok." A male voice said. "If you would be so kind as to inform your fleet and the Klingons that we are not here to fight you. The Borg will face the wrath of the Romulan Star Empire, courtesy of Empress Sela."

The audio feed cut off. So'Gam looked at Vi'cky from his seat.

"The Romulan Star Empire is not as crippled as I would have liked to believe." So'Gam said.

"That's a problem we'll need to face in the future." Vi'cky replied.

* * *

"There, done." Velma said, stepping away from the Borg drone lying on the biobed as her body had been screaming for her to do from the start. The Borg drone had been successfully beamed into sickbay, a force field erected there as well so it couldn't be beamed back. Velma was anxious the whole time she was working on the transceiver. The drone had been stunned, but it could easily awaken and attack her at any moment. Of any moment of any mission she had ever been on, this was the most nerve wrecking.

"So if we know anything about typical Borg protocol, when we lower the force field, the probe ship will beam over the done, right?" Caitlyn asked. Everyone knew the plan, but repeating how everything should go over and over again seemed to help calming everyone down.

"That's the idea…" Velma said. "I just hope it works. We live or die depending on whether that probe ship starts attacking us again. All right, here we go…Computer, lower force field."

The force field disappeared, and after a few seconds, the drone they had captured dematerialized, beamed over to the probe ship.

"And now we wait…" Caitlyn said. "Velma, how long do you think it'll take?"

"Depends on a lot of factors. Hopefully soon, so that the battle ends…"

The doors slid open as Gomez and Jil'eesa walked into sickbay.

"Is it done?" Gomez asked.

"Yes, sir."

"Then I believe now is the time to strike." Jil'eesa said.

"Aren't we going to wait for the program?" Velma asked.

"Whether the program works or not is irrelevant. If it did indeed succeed, then our mission to the probe will be to locate and rescue Mi'key, if he is still alive after the program takes effect. If it did not work, then the probe ship will begin an attack, and now is the time to ensure that we disable it from the inside. Either way, we must strike."

Gomez crossed his arms. "I like her."

* * *

"Get him to sick bay! Ensign Rogers, take his station!" Vi'cky yelled as more sparks exploded from a console. That was the fourth severely injured bridge officer.

"Captain, we've only destroyed 8 percent of the Borg fleet." Yoana reported. "15 percent of our forces have been destroyed. The Klingons taking the most amount of damage."

"We have to hold them off for as long as possible." So'Gam said, his hands clenched around the arms of his chair. "Velma will come through…"

"Captain McKensey of the Archangel just sent us some sensor readings and a set of coordinates." Yoana said, examining what was at the coordinates. "We may have a problem. The sensor readings show a Borg cube that looks oddly designed. Not sure what to make of it. We haven't come across any other cube that looks like this. It might be the only one."

"Analysis?"

"It isn't firing at all, maybe it isn't meant to. There are concave indents on every side of the cube, and a group of tactical cubes surrounding and defending it. I'm not reading that large of an energy output from this cube. The concaves seem to be designed to transfer energy and amplify it…"

It was the most inappropriate time, in the middle of all this chaos, but one could never stop a Vulcan from contemplating for a few seconds.

"…Planet Killer."

"What, sir?"

"I remember Velma recounting the details to me. She's very well versed in the travels of the Voyager. During their negotiations with the Borg, the Undine ambushed them. Their bioships went into a circular formation, focusing their energy into one ship and firing the concentrated energy. It was enough to destroy entire planets."

'A blast like that could wipe out half the fleet in one shot." Yoana said. "But I would imagine it takes time to gather up the energy for that. Transferring energy through bioships must be much easier than using technological means."

"Nonetheless, we cannot allow that ship to reach Earth." So'Gam said. "Send the message out to the rest of the fleet. That energy focusing cube must be destroyed."

* * *

Dark. The hallways of the Borg probe ship were almost entirely dark. The only lights that were still shining were coming from the Borg alcoves. Jess'ica and her team of security officers, Jil'eesa amongst them slowly crept down the hallways, checking every corner to ensure there was no Borg still active.

The Borg they saw were on the floor, fidgeting around, their mechanical parts whirring and buzzing. It was clear they were malfunctioning. Some were even dead.

"Check those corners!" Jess'ica ordered as they made a turn. They checked every Borg to make sure they were dead or incapacitated, by sight, of course. None of them dared to lower their weapons. Borg tubules were quick.

Jil'eesa separated from the group, and did her best to make a mental note of everything she saw. The Invasive Program had done exactly what it was meant to do. This ship posed no threat to the Philosopher now. The only question was whether it had spread to the rest of the collective. She was about to join the team again when she heard coughing. That wasn't something any of these Borg were doing.

She quickly moved to the source of the noise, keeping her weapon aimed at all times. When she reached where she thought the cough came from, she nearly gasped, which would have been off for the Vulcan.

It was Mi'key. Barely alive, his skin changed to the sickening paleness of the Borg. There were cybernetic parts all over him. He was still connected to the alcove, but it appeared that they were malfunctioning as well.

Mi'key turned his head to look at her. His eyes were tired, but they were most assuredly his.

"…Mi'key, is that you?"

He didn't answer right away. He took a few breaths first. He must have only recovered consciousness a few moments ago.

"Yeah…yeah, it is…did the program work?"

"It did…" Jil'eesa said. Down the hallway, she could hear the conversations of the rest of the team. They were also discovering Borg drones who had recovered their individuality.

"How do you feel?" Jil'eesa asked.

"Tired….and almost Andorian…" Mi'key managed to say.

Jil'eesa tapped her comm. badge. "Jil'eesa to the bridge. I've found Mi'key, he appears to be well."

"Understood." Velma replied, relief in her voice.

Jil'eesa started examining the alcove he was attached to.

"I will attempt to release you from the alcove. I only need a moment…"

"Okay, but hurry…I saw something about a…a Planet Killer while I was in the Collective…"

* * *

So'Gam's eyes were now focused on the view screen. They had alerted each faction of the need to destroy the Planet Killer cube.

"Captain, bad news." Yoana said. "The Kavarok won't be able to intercept the Planet Killer in time. The Narada-class isn't very maneuverable."

So'Gam had to raise his voice to speak over Vi'cky issuing orders. "Then we will have to assault the Planet Killer cube on our own!" He hit his comm. badge. "I need the 14th and 25th tactical wings to converge on the Justice's position!"

"Sir, a run like that will be suicide." Vi'cky said. "We won't win against that many tactical cubes."

"We no longer have a choice. It is either this, or being destroyed by the Planet Killer cube. All wings-"

"Sir, we have another problem!" Yoana said. "The Vengeance is approaching our position."

"Well, I'd rather go out knowing I got that bastard." Vi'cky said, turning her head to So'Gam. "Permission to fire on the Vengeance?"

"Not yet." So'Gam said. "Yoana, what is the Vengeance doing?"

"Stand by…sir, the Vengeance is attacking Borg cubes."

"On screen."

The view screen changed, following Vengeance as it used its immense firepower to disable cube after cube, allowing whatever group of ships that were engaging it to destroy it.

"Its firepower is incredible…" Vi'cky marveled.

"I do not understand…" So'Gam said. "Yoana, see if you can hail the Vengeance."

"That isn't necessary." Yoana said. "The Vengeance is hailing us."

The view screen flickered again to show the bridge of the Justice. Harrison was holding on the consoles tightly as the bridge shook from the battle damage it was taking. His resolve, however, didn't seem to falter.

"So'Gam…I'm going to destroy the Justice and your fleet, but first I'm going to take out as many Borg cubes as this ship possibly can."

"You may not get your chance to engage us." So'Gam said. "There is a Planet Killer cube that is about to fire on the fleet and wipe out most of us, including the Vengeance. It must be destroyed first."

"Then this Planet Killer cube will meet the same fate you will…"

"Sir, the Vengeance is advancing ahead of our formation." Yoana said. "He has engaged the tactical cubes."

"We must support him."

* * *

The bridge of the Vengeance continued to shake as Harrison fired on the tactical cubes. As powerful as the Vengeance was, it still wasn't enough to disperse them.

"Computer, analyze the Planet Killer cube!" Harrison ordered.

"Processing." The male voice of the Vengeance computer said. "The Planet Killer cube has no armaments. Its sole purpose is to focus the energy of other cubes into one powerful blast. It is theoretically possible to destroy a planet with such a blast."

"Then they were correct…the Vengeance will not survive such an attack."

"Warning. Tactical cubes changing formation." The computer said. "The cubes are generating the required energy to use on the Planet Killer cube. Firing sequence is in progress."

"Alternatives!"

"Only one alternative. The Vengeance must fly into the center of the Planet Killer cube. The destruction of the Vengeance will be powerful enough to destabilize the firing sequence, destroying the cube in the process."

"Can any other ship be used instead?"

"Negative. The Vengeance is the only ship large and powerful enough in range to cause the destabilization."

"…Very well. Set a course for the center of the Planet Killer cube and prepare to beam me over to another ship."

"Setting course…Alert. Transporter functions are unavailable. The Borg ships are disrupting Transporter signals."

"Of course..."

* * *

"Sir, the firing sequence has begun!" Vi'cky said. Everyone on the bridge stood up. They all knew in another few seconds, they would all be dead.

The Tactical cubes formed a circle around the Planet Killer cube. Each cube shot a concentrated energy blast into the Planet Killer cube. All except one of the curved indents were being used. The last one was facing towards the fleet. It would be one used to fire the blast.

It was also the entrance the Vengeance was using. The large ship raced to get into the firing mechanism in time.

"What is Harrison doing?" Vi'cky said.

"Saving us all…" So'Gam replied, realizing what he was attempting to do.

"Sir, the Vengeance is sending us a broadcast, audio only. Every ship is receiving this." Yoana said. Putting it on now…"

Harrison's deep voice could be heard, though it was being mired with static.

"I have no regrets for anything I have done, nor for what I am about to do. If Starfleet survives this, I want them to know…they can do better…"

The Vengeance's hull crashed into the opening of the firing mechanism, being too big to fit through entirely. The sides of the angular saucer section crumbled under the pressure, the nacelles were ripped off as it entered the Planet Killer cube. Only a few seconds later, the Planet Killer cube began to break up, finally exploding from the destabilization. The tactical cubes were well within the blast radius, disintegrated by it.

"All power to shields!" Vi'cky yelled, the red alert sound blaring. The Justice and Enterprise, along with the tactical wings they called in, were shaken by the blast. Some of the smaller ships couldn't take the kinetic energy, their shields failing and their hulls completely ruptured.

So'Gam was knocked out of the Captain's chair, hitting his head hard as he hit the ground…

When his eyes opened a few moments later, he groaned. His vision was blurry, his head shaking. He heard the muted sounds of medics scrambling around the bridge, trying to help as many officers as they could. A nurse helped So'Gam up as his senses returned to him.

"…Status report…" So'Gam said, just barely audible enough for Vi'cky to hear him. Vi'cky managed to stay up during the blast.

"Captain, our shields have failed. Car'los is reporting from engineering by text, our onboard communications network is down. The warp core nearly overloaded during that blast. We have hull ruptures all over the ship. Casualty reports are coming in; we've lost an estimated 80 crewmen…"

"Understood, Commander…and what of the battle?"

"Sir…the Planet Killer cube has been destroyed, along with the squadron of tactical cubes escorting it, but…the Borg are still advancing. Over 30 percent of our fleet has been destroyed, and nearly all of the rest have been disabled in some way or form, including the T'Rul and the Kavarok. The Borg fleet still has 78 percent of its fleet…"

"…I see…" So'Gam said, his hand rubbing his head. He looked at the view screen. The Borg cubes were indeed moving towards them, intent on finishing the job.

"Orders?" Vi'cky asked.

"…I have no more to issue." So'Gam said.

"What?!"

"The battle is lost. We cannot continue to fight in this condition, and retreating is out of the question. The Borg have won…"

"But Captain…"

"Commander…we have done everything we can. The rest is up to the universe to decide." So'Gam said. Despite their eminent destruction, So'Gam stood tall. If this was indeed his time, he would face it without fear, just as he and his crew faced the Borg. A Borg Cube that was approaching stopped in front of the Justice, emitting a tractor beam that trapped the crippled Justice.

Vi'cky felt only one bit of regret. She never had the chance to deal with Harrison herself. She clenched her fists. She never imagined she'd go out like this.

Yoana sat back down at her console, looking solemn. The Federation would be destroyed, and she would return to the collective. She was hoping to see Mi'key again at least one more time before her life ended.

A thin, white ray beam shot out of the Borg cube, hitting the Justice on the top of the saucer section.

The bridge started to shake again, consoles shorting out everywhere.

"Yoana?"

"The Borg cube is using the cutting beam around the bridge…" She said sadly.

So'Gam looked back at the view screen. They were being carved out. The depressurization from being exposed to the harsh elements of outer space was not going to be a painless death.

The Vulcan Admiral sat down again. "Commander Vi'cky…it has been an honor serving with you…"

"Likewise, Admiral."

The tractor beam and cutting beam suddenly disengaged. The Borg cube no longer looked as if it was holding its position. Rather, it slowly began to float in a random direction. In the background, the other hundred Borg cubes that could be seen were doing the same.

"What is going on?" Vi'cky asked.

"I am not certain..." So'Gam replied. "Do you think…"

"Our communications are still down." Vi'cky said. "It's going to take a while to repair it. I only have partial sensors. Wait, look at that!" She pointed at the screen. Among all the disabled ships and cubes merely floating around, one small but agile ship was still flying. A Defiant-class ship.

"It's the Philosopher!" Vi'cky said happily.

So'Gam sighed with relief, a rare form of expression from him. "They succeeded…"

Next time on Justice: Vengeance

Chapter 9

Space, The Final Frontier

One last cameo of a Space Viking character.  
The custom has been for the very first of a new class a ships to have the name of the class itself. (U.S.S Constitution, U.S.S Galaxy, U.S.S Defiant). You can view the Kavarok as either the Tal Shiar Adapted Battle Cruiser from STO, or the Narada mining ship from Star Trek 2009, it's up to you. But I'll hold strong to the opinion that the official class name is the Narada class (We know Romulans and Remans do this to, the Scimitar was the first of the Scimitar class warbirds.)

The Planet Killer is of Species 8472 origin from the Voyager episode "Scorpion, part 1". There's a reference to Picard's dialouge when he was severed from the Collective in "The Best of Both Worlds."  
Last chapter is being written now, and I've made a little change in my plans. Justice: Vengeance will be the last of what I call 'Phase 1' (totally stealing that from the Marvel Cinematic Universe), making these first three stories a trilogy. 'Phase 2' will involve my next, Q related story, followed by a short break and then a collaboration story with Space Viking.


	9. Chapter 9

Authors notes: Yep, you get two chapters this week, because I just really wanted ot finish this story already. So many feels while typing it...

Chapter 9

Space, The Final Frontier

So'Gam looked around at the refit Justice bridge. Everything had been replaced and fixed. The battle damage from the Second Battle at Wolf 359 was gone. The Borg had been pushed away once again. The status quo returned to normal.

"Heading, sir?" Vi'cky asked from her seat next to the Captain's chair.

That was a question So'Gam had to think about. Where do they go from here?

* * *

The battle had taken a considerable toll on each faction involved. The Klingons reveled in the experience of such a brutal conflict. They almost seemed to forget that the ceasefire J'mpok ordered had gone from being a political move to protect their space to a necessity. They could no longer afford to continue waging war with the Federation.

Not that the Federation was in any better shape. They still lost a high number of ships that day, the death toll had reached the hundreds of thousands. It was a solemn day for those who lost loved ones, but another reminder of why the Federation needed Starfleet. The number of recruits joining the Academy diminished a bit, but Starfleet didn't mind. It only meant that the most dedicated and willing to serve were applying.

The immediate problem after the battle, of course, was the large scale rescue operation that Starfleet and the Romulan Republic had to undertake. The Invasive Program worked differently than was originally intended. Instead of starving each Borg drone to death, the paradoxal puzzle instead forced each drone, each ship to disconnect from the Collective before they starved. Most of the drones that were freed had only been assimilated within the last few years, quickly regaining their individuality. Some were like Seven of Nine, having been drones from birth and were reluctant to be individuals. The call for therapists and counselors had never been greater.

The Justice and the Enterprise were both adrift, but salvageable. Starfleet couldn't afford to simply leave two state of the art Odyssey class ships to rust. Their engines were to be quickly repaired by teams of engineers from other ships and taken back to Earth Space Dock for refits.

The Federation owed a debt of gratitude to the Romulan Republic. Admiral Sellis seemed satisfied with the conclusion of the battle; The Romulan Republic was now indeed a major governmental power, one that both the Federation and the Klingon Empire now relied on. Their task now, besides rebuilding their fleet, was to ensure that the Romulan Star Empire did not produce more Narada-class ships, a task Starfleet Intelligence was more than happy to assist with. The Kavarok had disappeared as quickly as it had shown up. It was now obvious that despite their secret intentions, the empire would never have allowed the Borg to simply waltz into their territory.

Once communications and transporter functions were restored, Velma and her friends returned to the Justice. Mi'key was transferred to the Justice's sickbay, while Velma and Jil'eesa went to report to So'Gam.

* * *

Yoana walked into the very busy sickbay. The Doctor saw her enter, his attention going back to the PADD he was looking at. "If you're hurt, get on a bio bed, assuming you can find an open one."

Yoana had to smile a bit at that. She was the chief science officer, but the stress of the traffic of people The Doctor had to care for seemed to make him forget her level of authority. Not that she minded. She wasn't here on business. "That's fine, Doctor, I'm here to see a patient. Mi'key?"

"Who? Ah, yes, the Andorian who was assimilated. His restoration is going well, a standard de-assimilation, if you will. Other patients have much more fatal injuries, so I have to attend to them first. If you can find him, you can speak to him."

"Thanks, Doc." She said as she walked through the crowded room. The final fatality count was at 96, with nearly everyone on the ship having some sort of injury. She felt sorry for the crew. Being the chief science officer meant that she didn't typically see this particular side of the crew. The normal officer still making their way up, like Velma or Mi'key. 96 of them never will.

She finally managed to find Mi'key, still resting on a biobed. His skin color had returned to normal, and there were only a few cybernetic parts that still had to be removed. He seemed in high spirits, reading a book off a PADD. His eyes darted up when he saw Yoana.

"You're alive! I was apparently annoying the Doctor when I kept asking if you were okay or not."

"I'm fine, Ensign…" She stepped over to the biobed, sitting down at the end of it, near his feet.

"Is…something wrong?" Mi'key asked, worried about her distance response.

"I don't know…I was worried sick about you, and…well, it's not like we were dating just yet. We had a…well, I think I've heard Velma call what we are a 'thing'…We've both been through a lot now, and I don't want us to suddenly think we're in love and we're meant to be together because we managed to avoid the end of society…"

"Why didn't you tell me you had been assimilated?"

Yoana's eyes widened a bit, though she immediately realized it wasn't that farfetched that he now knew. She was still looking out at the room.

"I don't like talking about it…It was a nightmarish experience that I just wanted to forget."

"I see..." He wasn't sure if he wanted to mention what he experienced. He didn't know if she felt the same way.

"Mi'key, I haven't been in a relationship since the attack on Vega colony. I haven't shared that with anyone, and only people who read my Starfleet profile know about it. I didn't think to share it with you because, well…we weren't that serious yet…"

"…Do you want to be?" Mi'key asked her.

"…In time. We have a lot to do in the next few months, we're both going to be very busy. Maybe after all this is over, we can try…" She finally looked at him. "I do like you, Mi'key, but I just want to make sure there's really something here, and not just a 'thing'."

"I understand." He responded.

"Good…then get some rest, you can't be on the bridge with all that Borg tech on you, so you need to recover soon." She got up, giving Mi'key a kiss on the cheek before she made her way to the exit.

Mi'key watched her walk away. He knew there was a future. No other person could have given him the strength of mind he needed to resist the Collective. He smiled at that thought. "I like you, too, Yoana…" He said silently to himself.

* * *

"…and that's when he went to warp and joined you at Wolf 359." Velma said, finishing her report. "The Invasive Program worked as expected, though it took a while to affect the Collective…do you think it completely destroyed it?"

"It is hard to tell at this point." So'Gam replied. He was sitting at his desk, examining the Romulan Data Node for any damage. The ready room was a mess of broken models and shards of glass waiting to be cleaned up. "I had a meeting with Starfleet Intelligence an hour ago. They suspect that if a Borg Queen exists at this moment, she may have been able to stop the program before it affected her. We have no way of knowing for sure. What we do know is that the Borg Fleet has been disabled. The Borg are no longer a major threat. It will take decades for them to return to their former strength."

"I never thought I'd live to see the day when the Borg aren't considered a threat anymore…Vi'cky told me something about a Narada-class ship."

"Yes, the Romulan Star Empire has at least one that we know of for sure. If they had more, they would have sent them to the battle to ensure the Borg were defeated, but we cannot be certain of that. We must assume the Tal Shiar will be constructing more."

"Another Narada out there…that's even worse than the Vengeance, which reminds me. What happened to Harrison?"

"He was lost during the battle, destroying the Planet Killer cube. He saved us all…"

"And I bet you don't know how to feel about that…to be honest, neither do I. I talked him into attacking the Borg, but did he do it out of remorse or anger?"

"He was an augment."

"I know, Admiral, but he wasn't born an augment. He didn't have the desire to prove he was better, like Khan. He's too smart to be tricked into attacking the Borg. It's hard to tell…did he sacrifice himself out of Vengeance, or Justice?"

"I suppose it is too late to ask him now. We will never know."

"Did he have any last words?"

So'Gam thought about that for a moment. He had nearly forgotten his last transmission. Starfleet could do better.

"Yes, he did…I suggest you look up the logs yourself, I still need time to ponder them. Dismissed."

Velma nodded, standing up to take her leave. When she was gone, So'Gam's monitor flickered on.

"Admiral, good to see you're alive."

"Drake….I wondered when you were going to contact me."

"I have to congratulate you on cleaning up our mess. And saving the Federation as well."

"Harrison's actions are on your head, Drake. You and the rest of Section 31."

"These things happen, Admiral. The best thing to do is learn from them and move on."

"Perhaps you should follow your own advice." So'Gam said. "However, I do not expect you to change, Drake. This is the last time we speak. From now on, I will do everything in my power to expose Section 31. I will no longer tolerate your actions."

"I'm sorry to hear that, Admiral. But exposing us is a tall order. Good luck."

* * *

Drake turned his seat around when the transmission ended. "He still doesn't suspect a thing. I'm surprised he hasn't figured out that you were involved, Admiral."

"So'Gam is Vulcan. He sees things in a different way than most other species."

"Perhaps you're right. For now, we proceed as usual. The Federation still needs protection from itself. I can count on you to erase every record Starfleet has on Harrison?"

"Of course…Drake, I don't know if I can keep doing this."

"You're involved now…Quinn. You were involved the moment you met Harrison. The moment you realized the good we can do. Harrison backfired, but we can always try again. I expect you to do your part."

Quinn sighed. "Of course. If you'll excuse me."

Quinn left Drake's office. It was in a building on Earth, an inconspicuous office building that held a number of other departments. Obviously, this wasn't the HQ of Section 31. Drake was simply using it for a short time. He would not be here tomorrow.

Quinn tapped his comm. badge, knowing the signal couldn't be traced. "He wants me to erase all files on Harrison. I'll make sure they're transferred to a secure location before I delete them from public record."

"Understood, Vice Admiral." So'Gam's voice said.

* * *

It had been three months since the Second Battle at Wolf 359. So many things had changed, and yet other things stayed the same. There was a new sort of atmosphere aboard the Justice, and in Starfleet in general. It was as if a whole new universe had opened up to them. For years, Starfleet knew that they couldn't push too far into the edges of the Alpha Quadrant. The Borg were always beyond the borders of the Delta Quadrant, waiting for any who would dare venture into their territory. But that was no longer the case. For the first time in a very long time, many in Starfleet looked forward to the exploration of the galaxy.

Not everything changed, however. The Status Quo had been restored in other means. The Klingons have made peace, but the political climate was still heated. The Federation and the Empire had gone to war for several reasons, and they didn't disappear because of the invasion. The Romulan Star Empire was still lurking in the shadows, and it was impossible to tell what they were planning next. The U.S.S Enterprise had gone back to the Tau Dewa Sector to deal with the Tholians. The U.S.S Philosopher returned to monitoring Sol System activity.

The Final Frontier was once again an uncertainty.

So'Gam walked onto the bridge of the Justice, looking around to see the newly restored systems. Vi'cky smiled when she entered, getting up from the Captains chair. "Captain on the bridge." She said loudly.

"Thank you, Commander." So'Gam said as he took his seat. "Status report?"

"The Justice is now fully operational." Vi'cky responded as she took a seat next to him.

"Excellent." He tapped a button on his chair. "Engineering?"

"The slipstream drive is standing by." Car'los said. "We're all ready down here for a long journey."

"Then it is time to depart." So'Gam said, when he noticed something. Velma was at the science station in front of his seat. She was looking at the viewscreen, at the small patch of space they would soon be exploring. Not everyone in Starfleet was happy about the decreased threat of the Borg. Some thought it would leave the way open for something else that could be just as dangerous.

That's not the attitude So'Gam saw in Velma. She was anxious to get underway. She was ready. She was hopeful.

"Heading, sir?"

So'Gam had to think about that. He knew where they were going. Starfleet had given the order to begin plans for Starbases near the edge of the Alpha Quadrant. The intended goal was to begin the peaceful exploration of the Delta Quadrant. With new Starbases and the slipstream drive, it would only take another decade or two. By the time Velma becomes a Captain herself, she may very well be on her way to exploring the quadrant of the galaxy Janeway had returned from.

What he didn't know was how to feel about this new frontier. The Borg could somehow resurface. The Romulan Star Empire could hatch another sceme to destabilize the quadrant. The Klingons could become hungry for battle again. What was important, however, was that he was here now, and he could make a difference in all of those scenarios.

"Crewman…Before I left Earth Space Dock to board this ship, I volunteered to recite the Captain's Oath again. I was always curious as to why only the Captain had to recite it. I believe it is something we should all take to heart. It is a call to remember our roots, our history."

Mi'key turned in his seat to face everyone else. "Space. The Final Frontier." He began.

Vi'cky nodded at him. "These are the voyages of the starship Justice."

Yoana smiled at Mi'key from her seat. "Its continuing mission."

Jil'eesa raised an eyebrow, though she understood what everyone was doing. "To explore strange new worlds."

So'Gam stood up, his hands behind his back. "To seek out new life, and new civilizations."

Velma couldn't take her eyes off the screen. This had already been the adventure of a life time, and it wasn't over yet. The stars awaited her. "To boldly go where no one has gone before..."

"Helmsman?"

"On it, Captain." Mi'key said, turning back to his console to engage the slipstream drive. "Boldly going where no one has gone before."

The nacelles of the Justice started to shine as the warp engines were activated, sending the Justice and her crew into the unknown.

THE END

Authors Note: Reference time! Yes, the ending with the Captain's Oath and all is slightly based off the ending of Star Trek Into Darkness. It's also a reference to some of the endings of Star Trek movies, such as Star Trek: The Motion Picture (Out there, Thataway), and Star Trek 6: The Undiscovered Country (Second star to the right. And straight on 'till morning.)

Yes, Harrison's true intentions during his final attack are left vague. It's up to you to decide if he was still lashing out or protecting humanity. I guess it depends on whether you're an optimist or a pessimist.

So that's it! Phase 1 is complete, and I'm taking a break, though it won't be for long. I'll begin writing on the next story soon. I won't reveal the title, because it will give away what the story is about. But the Justice and her crew will return for more voyages.

Please write reviews, good, constructive criticism or just how bad I am at this, I don't care! If you liked it and know others that will, let them read it too! Thank you to everyone who has taken time out of their life to read my work.


End file.
